A Rose Without Thorns
by Smile Like Korrina
Summary: May comes from a rich family with a partially abusive father, who also likes to control her every move and desires her whereabouts. She later meets Drew, who comes from an average lifestyle, and the two bump heads during their first encounter, though it doesn't last. Nonetheless, Norman doesn't approve of them, forcing the pair to be apart, soon taking matters into his own hands.
1. Chapter 1

_**Note: So I decided to write a story for my otp (ContestShipping), and I hope you all like it. This is kind of like an AU story, and I have the first and second chapters already pre-written, so they're both ready to post. Nonetheless, the more feedback I receive for this chapter, the sooner I post the other. Enjoy, and thanks in advance for reading!**_

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_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter One | Prologue.**_

My life is anything _but_ normal. I live in a large, fancy estate in Petalburg City, and a father, who likes to control my every move. I know my father means well, but he never allows me to make decisions for myself. He enrolled me into an all girls' private school, secluding me away from all contact with Pokémon except for the one Pokémon that I have with me. It's an Espeon, and I received it from my mother on my thirteenth birthday when it was just an Eevee recently hatched from its egg, and Espeon's been my primary companion ever since.

I tell it everything because its always willing to listen. Every time I do something that makes my father infuriated with me, he normally sends me to my room after lecturing me about how 'awful' my behavior's been lately, and every time my Espeon's there to comfort me.

However, besides my precious Espeon, there's also my two best friends, Misty and Dawn. They're basically the only friends I have considering my father only approves of _them_, and nobody else. They've been my friends since the start of middle school with Misty being a Water Pokémon Trainer and Dawn a Coordinator, and now we're all Juniors in high school.

Their parents may have sent them to a private school just like me where you learn about anything _but_ Pokémon, but that's only so they have the expenses of attaining a proper education. They then receive the chance to interact with Pokémon and have a normal teenage life as long as they keep their grades up. But me - my entire life revolves around school, homework, and studying.

My father even pays for me to have Poké Flute lessons if I'm finished all of my school work just so I don't feel tempted to ask if I could go out with my friends. My mother sometimes tries to convince him to "lighten up" a little bit with all of his strict rules, but that only results in an arguing match with him always being the dominate one. All I've ever wanted to do was experience life like a teenager's supposed to; you know, like go to parties, stay out late, go shopping or to the movies, and even... have a boyfriend.

I know, kind of pathetic that I've never had an intimate relationship with a boy before, but that's because I don't get enough freedom outside of school to get that chance. Even on weekends I'm either studying or doing chores around the house to keep me occupied. I have a little brother too named, Max, and even my father doesn't nag him the way he does me. If anything, he's more of a teenager than I am, and he's only thirteen.

Max also has a girlfriend, who he keeps a secret from our father, and the only reason why I know about her is because I caught him talking on the phone with her late one night, and he made me promise I wouldn't tell dad, so I agreed that way if I ever needed a favor from him, he'll be willing to cooperate.

Anywho, after I got dressed this morning, my dad gave me a ride to school like he always does. He tried to make conversation with me just to ease the silence and tension, but every time he talks to me I either give simple head nods or head shakes, or give him short and vague, straight to the point responses. It's not that I don't love or appreciate all that my dad's done for me, but he's the reason why my life is so empty and boring, and it's been going on for too long.

He pulled up to the curb right in front of my school, and leaned back in his seat as he looked over at me. 'You have a nice day at school, okay?'

'Yeah, sure... Whatever.' I mumbled, while removing the seat belt off of me. Then as I was exiting out of the car, my dad stopped me by brutally grabbing my arm with his hand. I glanced down at his hand prior to looking up at him.

He stared at me sternly. 'I'm really not pleased with this attitude thing you have going on right now. You better be in a better mood by the time I pick you up this afternoon, do you understand me?'

I didn't respond. Instead I looked at him with so much frustration, and briskly snatched my arm away as I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me. I know I left my dad shocked and temporarily speechless as he then rolled down the window and yelled, 'Just wait until you get home young lady!' With that, his car sped off down the road away from school property. What I wouldn't give to have a father, who actually understands me.

Once that little dispute with my dad left my mind, I casually walked into school with my head held high, and my bag with my books in it securely on my shoulder. I visited my locker first, grabbing the needed books I'd need for first period, Algebra, and then ambled down the hallway toward Misty and Dawn's lockers, who were conveniently right next to each other's.

When I had walked over, the two of them were busy discussing something with Misty leaning against her locker, and Dawn standing in front of her. Once they seen me, they stopped their conversation, and calmly greeted me.

'Hey, May.' They both stated simultaneously.

'Hey, Dawn... Hey, Misty.'

'Uh oh, you don't sound so good. Rough morning with your dad, huh?' Misty questioned me. I gradually nodded my head.

Dawn shook her head shamefully. 'I still can't believe you're letting him control you like this. When are you finally going to stand up to him, and prove you're not afraid of me?'

'Hm, I don't know. Maybe when I _do_ _stop_ being afraid of him, Dawn.' I retorted sarcastically. Dawn and Misty looked at me sternly.

I sighed in annoyance. '...Okay, okay I'm sorry. Listen, I understand what you guys are saying, but you don't know my dad like I do. I may be sixteen years old, but that doesn't exclude my dad from hitting me if he truly finds the need to.'

Misty widened her eyes. 'You mean to tell me your dad still gives you spankings?'

'Unfortunately, yes but so far he hasn't had to because I never do anything terrible enough for him to have to go that far, and I don't plan to start now.'

'Well, it's either that, or continue to live a life of boredom for the rest of your life. It sucks that Misty and I can't hang out with you after school unless we're at the estate. Otherwise he sends your brother to spy on us just to make sure you're not doing anything 'inappropriate'. I swear, your dad makes _me_ mad.' Dawn complained in agitation.

'Yeah, if only your dad was more like our parents. Even your mom can't manage to stop your dad's controlling ways.' Misty added.

I rolled my eyes in frustration. 'Can we talk about something else, please because you two constantly complaining about my father's strict ways isn't going to solve anything.'

'Then what will, May! It's about time you give your dad a piece of your mind.' Dawn uttered ferociously.

'Dawn's right, May. You're sixteen years old, and you've never even been shopping at the mall without your 'mommy' tagging along with you. I think it's kind of creepy how your dad wants to know where you are and who you're with every second of everyday. It's bad enough he doesn't let you interact with Pokémon, or even go to see them for that matter.' Misty remarked, leaning off of her locker.

'Well, what am I supposed to do!?'

'Make a choice. Either stand up for yourself, or continue being the boring loser that you are.' Dawn shrugged.

'Dawn!' Misty exclaimed.

'What? I'm sorry, but she had to hear it from someone.' Dawn replied nonchalantly.

I furrowed my eyebrows from her comment with my mood instantly changing. 'You guys... You guys think I'm a loser?'

'No, of course not May. We're your friends, so we're going to befriend you no matter what. But to everybody else... yes, you're a loser.' Misty told me somewhat subtly. I couldn't believe it. My dad constantly monitoring my life has me as one of the biggest losers in Petalburg City. This couldn't be happening.

'There is _one_ way you could fix that, though...' Dawn's voice trailed off.

'Really? And how's that?' I inquired curiously.

'I have a Pokémon Contest today, and it would be great if my other best friend was there supporting me. That way you could get away from your dad, have a good time, see some Pokémon, and meet some new people. It's a win, win situation.' Dawn explained thoroughly.

'Yeah, but there's only one problem with that. There's no way my dad is going to let me leave the house alone especially to see a Pokémon Contest.'

'So lie.' Misty stated with a shrug.

'Lie? Yeah, I don't think so. I've never been the most fabulous when it comes to lying.'

'Then sneak out. Just do whatever you have to do to get away from your dad because trust me, you won't regret it.' Dawn muttered with a canny smirk and a sly wink.

I was still a bit skeptical towards the idea, but I actually took Dawn and Misty's words into consideration. I knew if I attempted lying to my dad, I'd say something stupid to screw everything up, so my best option was to sneak out. And I knew just how I was going to go about doing it.

After school, my mom ended up being the one to pick me since my dad still had a lot to do at work which was fine with me. By the time we arrived home, my first mission was to go find Max, who was laid back on his bed in his room, texting his girlfriend. He was pretty annoyed with me, though for barging into his room unannounced, but not like I cared.

'What the heck, May? Do you know how to knock anymore?' He whined.

'Shh, I'm sorry, but I need to make a deal with you.' I whispered, and gently closing the door behind me.

Max then sat up on his bed, and raising an eyebrow. 'What kind of deal?' He asked me, intrigued.

'Well, more like a request. Dawn's attending a Pokémon Contest today, I need you to cover for me, while I'm gone.'

'Cover for you?'

'Yeah, I'm gonna sneak out.'

'Sneak out!' Max bellowed boisterously, so I quickly placed my hand over his mouth to silence him.

'Didn't I say to be quiet? Now if I take my hand off of your mouth, do you promise to keep quiet?' Max nodded his head, yes.

Once I did, he replied, 'Sneak out? Do you know if you do, dad's gonna kill you?'

'But that won't happen because that's where you come in. You're going to keep dad distracted. Do anything you have to do to keep him out of my room until I get back from the contest.'

'Yeah right, and what's in it for me?' Max mentioned, crossing his arms.

'Don't you remember? _Your girlfriend_. We made a deal that if I don't tell dad about her, then you'll do me a favor anytime I ask you. Well, _this_ is one of those favors.'

Max sighed in defeat. '...Yeah, I remember. Alright, I'll help you, but if I can't stall dad any longer, you're on your own.'

'Thanks, Max you're the best!' I yelped jubilantly, and leaning over to hug and kiss him on the cheek before he brutally shoved me off.

'Yeah, yeah and don't ever do that again!' He shouted, wiping off his cheek. I then ran out of his room going into mine, and promptly changing out of my school uniform, and into something more... me.

After I finished sprucing myself up, I carefully and cautiously climbed out of my bedroom window until I was safely on the ground. I then grabbed my bike out of the garage, and peddled as fast as I could to the nearest Contest Hall. By the time I got there, the first round was nearly done, indicating I missed Dawn's turn. I then found Misty sitting up in the stands, and took a seat next to her.

When she looked over, and seen me sitting beside her, she appeared pretty shocked to see me at all. 'Wow, I'm impressed. So you managed to make it here after all.'

'Yeah, I had to blackmail Max, but it was worth it.'

'Well, you missed Dawn's turn, who was spectacular by the way with her Delcatty, and now there's only one contestant left until we see the participants moving on to the second stage.' Misty told me.

'Alright, cool. But I bet whoever this next person is won't even _compare_ to Dawn.' I replied cheerfully, and glancing down towards the stage. There, that's when a guy with green hair and sparkling green eyes to match walked on stage. A confident grin was seen on his face as he tossed a Pokéball into the air, calling out his Pokémon.

'Masquerain, use Bubble!' He hollered energetically. Several bubbles were then seen floating above the stage as the audience sat in wonderment, wondering what he was going to do next.

'Now use Ice Beam!' His Masquerain then froze all of the bubbles with them still floating in mid-air, and soon following it up with Hidden Power as the attack bounced off of ever single one of them. The crowd was going wild for the two of them.

'Great, now finish it with Quick Attack!' The green haired Coordinator demanded. The Bug/Flying-type flew directly into the frozen bubbles, dispersing all of them as sparkles appeared falling down onto the stage. Masquerain then flew back down next to its Trainer as they both bowed, taking in the applause.

My mouth was wide open. I was speechless. I didn't get a chance to see Dawn, but I'm pretty sure her performance was just as great. Still, that guy was amazing.

As the contest proceeded, we figured out that Dawn along with the green haired Coordinator had both made it to the second round, and both finals as the last round was coming to a close with only a minute remaining, and Dawn having the least amount of points. If her Pokémon were to get hit one more time, it'd be over.

'Use Flame Wheel, Quilava!' Dawn shouted nervously.

'Dodge that Absol, and counter it with Hyper Beam!' The mysterious Coordinator with the green eyes yelled, and as soon as the round started, it was over. Dawn's Quilava had passed out from the attack, ultimately giving her opponent the win.

Dawn's reaction was both shocked and disappointed as she eventually returned her Pokémon back to its ball, and thanking it for its efforts. She glared across the stage at her opponent, and bowing slightly. Misty and I were sadden to see Dawn lose, but we knew she had gave it her all, and that there was always next time. Once the contest had concluded, we all gathered outside in front of the building.

'I'm sorry you lost, Dawn but you have to admit, you were amazing.' Misty encouraged.

'Yeah, I know... thanks. Drew is just too incredible, but I'll beat him someday.' Dawn responded. _So, his name is Drew?_ I thought to myself.

'But aside from that, I'm just glad you came to see me, May. Surprised, but happy.' Dawn smiled.

'Well, I know how much you wanted me to be here, and you were right, it was fun. But I should really be getting home-'

'Hey, Dawn... Misty!' A voice yelled from a distance. The three of use then looked behind us to see two guys along with Drew, heading our way. I did recognize the two guys as Ash and Paul, though since Ash and Misty are a couple, and Dawn secretly has a crush on Paul. I was just surprised to see Drew with them, but I'm assuming they're all friends.

'Hi, Ash!' Misty exclaimed gleefully, and running over to hug and kiss him which lasted for quite a long time, but that's none of my business. Then that's when Paul walked up with his hands in his pockets and poker face to match.

'Dawn.' Paul stated plainly.

'Paul.' Dawn replied sternly with her arms crossed. That's how they always greet each other. It's pretty obvious Paul likes Dawn too, but they're both too stubborn to say anything to one another. But while that was going on, I gazed over at Drew, who I had caught staring at me, but that was most likely because he's never met me before. That's when Ash spoke.

'Whoa, weird seeing you here, May. Did your dad finally cut you a break?'

I rubbed the side of my arm nervously. 'Not exactly...'

'She sneaked out.' Dawn stated for me. Ash seemed surprised by it, while Paul didn't seem to react too much. He hardly ever does.

'Wow. Well, good for you. We were actually all going to the new Instant Noodle Shop that just opened up. You coming with us?'

Instant Noodle Shop? Of course, I want to go! But I can't. I told Max I'd be back by the end of the contest. If I go with them, I'm sure to get in trouble.

'I... I don't know. I really should be heading home.'

'Why? Afraid you'll get in trouble with your 'daddy'?' Drew teased with a canny grin. I looked at him perplexed. I didn't even know the guy, and he was already making fun of me.

'That's none of your business.' Was my only comeback, and I can tell he didn't take me seriously by the vague snickering he was doing. I felt my fists balling up. This guy was already getting on my nerves.

'C'mon just come, May. You're already out, so you might as well enjoy it.' Misty suggested. I really didn't want to go, but Drew's attitude was really urging me on, so... I agreed. Biggest mistake of my life.

By the time I arrived home, I crawled back in through the window, and there was my dad; standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, and his breathing heavy. I noticed a pissed expression masked over his face, and then glanced behind him to see Max standing in the hallway basically saying, _I tried_. I then glared back at my father.

I was in for a rude awakening.

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_**Well, there it is. I tried to leave it on kind of a cliffhanger, so if you want to find out what happens next, keep reading, please! I want to know what you all think. Remember, the second chapter is already finished, so the more reviews I get, the quicker I post it. Thanks again for reading, I really appreciate it. And if you have any questions you'd like to ask me, feel free in messaging me. And follow me on tumblr as well where I post my many drabbles. **_

_**But anywho, I'm not going to hold you up any longer. Just keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Note: Here's Chapter Two just like said. I think it'll be a little more interesting for you guys once you read what happens. Thanks in advance for reading, enjoy!**_

_**Also, thanks a bunch to you guys for reviewing. I'm glad you all like the story so far. ^.^**_

_**1. Singing Wolf**_  
_**2. Rainbine2341**_  
_**3. Amazon Huntress**_  
_**4. Shelbyrox21**_

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_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Two | Leave Me Alone.**_

Saying he was infuriated with me was an understatement. I had never seen my father so furious in all my life. His eyes were enlarged, popping out of his head like he was ready to attack. He literally looked like a crazed man right before being sent to prison. I stood as close to my window as possible; wishing I could just jump right out again, and run as far away from here as I could.

I then noticed my father taking a few more steps into the room, and closing the door behind him. We lived in a large house, so if he were to hit me, nobody would hardly hear me. It would just sound like faint cries in the distance. The more steps he took closer to me, the further I moved back until I was leaning right up against the window ledge. I took a deep breath, and gulped anxiously. At this point, all I was doing was anticipating his next move.

He stopped directly in front of me and sternly gritted through his teeth, '_Where_ have you been?'

I wasn't expecting a conversation out of him until after the fact, but I timidly spoke, 'Um, I was over D-Dawn's house.' I lied straight through my teeth. I was never in my life a good liar, and my father knew that, so basically... he was going to use that against me.

'Oh yeah? Doing what?' He questioned me suspiciously.

'We were... Um, we... I... You see...' I stated horribly, stumbling with my words, and wondrously gazing around my room. I had refused to look my dad in the face.

'Why are you stuttering so much?' He asked viciously.

'I... Because-'

'And why can't you look me in the eye?' He abruptly asked me instead; interrupting me.

'Because... I... I don't know-'

'Look me in my face when I'm talking to you!' My father yelled intimidatingly, causing me to flinch in fear.

'I know your sorry ass is lying to me because I see the guilt all over your face! I know you sneaked out of here to go to some ridiculous Pokémon Contest, and let me tell you something... You are _not_ getting away with this unpunished!' My father shouted menacingly, and raising his hand in the air with the intention of slapping me.

I coward over in fear, trying my best to block my face as I became petrified for his next move. I was certain I was about to get hit until,

'Stop it, Norman! Stop it right now!' Was the sound of my mother's usually angelic voice. My dad had glanced behind him to see her grabbing a hold of his wrist, ultimately stopping him in his tracks. I then seen my Espeon run into the room, and stand in front of me for protection as it growled through its teeth.

My mom then spoke again. 'Now that's enough! I realize what May did was uncalled for, but hitting her isn't going to solve anything! I swear, if I ever catch you about to hit our daughter again, you _will_ regret it.' She warned him deliberately, but all my father did was stare at her with a blank expression. It was obvious he hadn't taken her words seriously, _or_ into consideration.

He then glared back at me again with a look that either said, 'You were lucky this time.' or 'This isn't over.' I was literally scared for my life. Not only was my dad controlling, but he was frightening too. He was a man that always kept to his word, and for my sake, that was never a good thing. If it weren't for my mom coming into the room when she did, my face would be covered in bruises, scratches, and blood by now. I'm not even exaggerating.

Once he left the room, making sure to slam the door behind him, my mother ran over to me with a remorseful look on her face. It was evident she was concerned for me as she embraced me in the tightest hug; smothering my face against her chest, and repeatedly kissing the top of my head, while stroking my hair. Subsequently, I knew that my prayer... was answered.

The next day, my mother had dropped me off to school with the plan of picking me up later as well. Normally that was my dad's job which I'm sure he only offers to do, so he knows where I am at all times, but after the occurrence that happened last night, he refuses to even look at me. My father may have his 'evil' ways, and I keep trying to tell myself he means well, but it becomes harder to believe everyday.

All I want is for him to let me live my life the way I want to, and for us to have an actual loving relationship with each other, but that seems nearly impossible. No matter what, he's still my dad at the end of the day, so I want us to learn to respect one another, but something tells me that's easier said than done.

Anywho, when I first arrived to school, I didn't visit Dawn and Misty's lockers like I typically do every morning. So instead, I headed off to homeroom without them. We all have almost every class together except for like two or three, so you can plainly see how difficult it is at trying to ignore them. I know they're my friends, but I really wasn't beat to have them lecturing me about my dad and I's behavior, so my best bet was to just steer clear of them. At least for today.

Fortunately for me, the school day was nearly over. I only had one more class to go to once free period was over, and was currently outside, sitting on a bench near a gate. The gate separates the two schools - the all girls school, and the all boys school. Nonetheless, I was busy reading a book of mine when a familiar sounding voice was heard from behind me. I instantly rolled my eyes, sighing in agitation.

'Well, hello to you too. I take by your sighing that you're not happy to see me?' He uttered sarcastically.

'What do you want, Drew?'

'Wow, you actually remembered my name? How thoughtful.' Drew retorted, and even though I couldn't see him, I just knew he had a canny smirk on his face.

'So May...'

'What_ is it_, Drew?' I gritted through my teeth.

'Well first off, you can lose the hostility because I actually came over here to apologize to you.' He told me casually. My eyes immediately widened in shock.

I turned around to stare at him through the gate. 'You... You did?' I asked in disbelief.

Drew shrugged. 'Yeah, I figured it was the least I could do after watching you humiliate yourself yesterday.' He replied with that same prudent smirk. By now, I could tell he wasn't being sincere. He was never trying to be. Although, his comment briskly had me thinking back to yesterday's events at the Instant Noodle Shop.

'The way you spilled your soup all over the waiter and the floor, and then being forced to mop it up in front of everybody was hilarious.' Drew reminded me, bending over in laughter. I could sense my cheeks getting red from anger.

I balled up my fists. 'Yeah well, and how do you suppose that all happened? Oh that's right, I tripped over your foot after _you_ purposely put it out in front of me!'

'And for that, I'm sorry.' Drew mentioned still chuckling.

'I can tell you're not, so why don't you just go? I'm dealing with enough stuff in my life right now, and I don't need you making it any worse.' I remarked in frustration, and grabbing my books just about to walk off. That is, until Drew spoke again.

'You? Dealing with stuff in your life? Wow, that's funny because I bet you're nothing, but those bratty rich girls, who gets everything she wants just by asking for it. You live in a large, expensive home, a maid to clean up after you, and you never hear the word 'no'. Face it May, not everybody can experience the fabulous life like you. Unlike you, people like me actually have to struggle and work to get what we want in life, so I suggest you think twice before talking to somebody about how 'hard your life is'.'

I was stopped dead in my tracks, clutching onto my books as I listened to everything Drew said. I didn't even have the strength or will to say anything to him. I turned around to look at him with tears in my eyes, and running the opposite way back towards the building. And here I was, seeing Drew for the first time, and thinking he was cute and talented as a Coordinator. My mistake.

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Wait, did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to make May cry. I just wanted to prove to her that there are people out there, who actually deal with a lot in their everyday lives. You know, _real stuff_. Things that actually matter. I know May comes from a rich family because Ash and Paul told me it themselves. They're friends with May, but primarily only because Misty and Dawn are.

It's not that they don't want to be friends with her on a more sociable level, but with her hardly ever around to hang out with, they're not as close as they would probably like to be. I've known Ash and Paul for a few years now. We all met back in middle school, and all live in the same neighborhood. All of our moms are like best friends, so that's how we all ended up enrolling to the same school together.

This private school is fairly expensive, so essentially mainly rich folks can only afford to send their kids here, but with my grandfather's inheritance, we were able to swing it. I mean, it's not so bad, but I rather go to a different school. You know, one where the girls and boys are in the same building, and we learn about Pokémon too. I've loved Pokémon ever since I was little, and my dad would go take me to play with the wild ones at the park.

Since then, I've devoted most of my time to being with them. That's basically how I got into Pokémon Contests as well. I would watch various contests on television with my grandmother, and became intrigued with them. And considering I go to a school that only teaches subjects like Math, Science, and History, Pokémon Contests are a way for me to interact with Pokémon still on a daily basis, and getting to do what I love all at the same time.

Regardless, that doesn't explain my jerk-ish attitude towards May these past couple of days. We just met for the first time yesterday, and all I've been doing is giving her a hard time. Whether May was telling the truth about having a hard life or not, that doesn't excuse my behavior towards her. I honestly think I've just been so frustrated with my life at home that I'm now taking it out on her. Well, not anymore because I got just the thing that will cheer her up, and then we can be the friends we should've been from the beginning. At least, I sure hope so.

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The final bell had rang for the day, and I swiftly walked out of school to avoid running into Misty and Dawn. My mother texted me during last period saying she'd be late picking me up, so I had to stand and wait for her. I decided to stand across the street from the school since there's a bus stop there with a bench to sit on, but as soon as I did, I noticed a familiar silhouette heading in my direction. I took a deep breath.

_Calm down, May. If I ignore him, maybe he'll go away_. I thought to myself.

I could sense Drew's presence as he ambled over to me, and eventually sitting down on the bench beside me. Nonetheless, I calmly slid away from him. Call me immature, but I hated even being in the same presence as him. I wasn't in the mood to have him making fun of me again, or making me upset with his false accusations.

He cleared his throat. '...Uh, hi May.' Drew greeted awkwardly. Still, I didn't speak.

'You um, you waiting for a ride?' I didn't respond. Drew could soon acknowledge my lack of communication, but still refusing to walk away. Ugh, why does he have to be so stubborn?

He sighed. '...Listen May, I can see you're giving me the silent treatment, and I guess I deserve it, but I'm sorry. Honestly, I am this time. I've been acting like a jerk to you, and all I want now is for us to start over. I want to be your friend, May, so... what do you say?' He inquired hopefully.

I gazed at him nonchalantly prior to speaking. 'I say, you're wasting your time. You may _claim_ you're sorry, but do you honestly think I'm just going to forgive you after everything you said?'

'I know, May but-'

'No buts. I think it would benefit the both of us if you just leave me alone, and we don't speak to each other ever again.'

'But May, I-'

'_Ever_, Drew! You chose a fine time to finally want to apologize, but it's too late, so please just leave me alone.'

Drew's face had softened as he looked at me regretfully. 'I'm not going to leave you alone, May... not until you talk to me.'

'Well, you might as well give up because it's not happening.' I responded sternly, and grabbing my bag as I walked away. If he wasn't going to leave, then I was. After what he said to me today, I wanted nothing more to do with him. Honestly at this point, I wish we had never even met.

I was probably about half way down the street when I noticed Drew was following me. He wasn't making it subtle, either. I tried to pick up the pace, but every time I did, he did too. Man, he sure was persistent.

I then began running, but then all of a sudden, I felt somebody grab me. I glanced behind me, and seen Drew holding my forearm, indicating he started running as soon as I did, and caught up to me.

I quickly snatched my arm away. 'Gosh, will you please leave me alone! You're started to scare me now.'

'May, I just want to be friends with you. You're the one making this harder than it needs to be.' Drew replied.

'Well _duh_, what did you expect! I tried to be nice to you when we first met yesterday, but you wanted to be a jackass, and talk about my father!' I yelled boisterously. The more time I spent talking to Drew, the angrier I got. I don't even curse unless I'm truly upset.

Drew look at me sympathetically. 'May, I'm sorry. Really I-'

'The hell with your 'I'm sorry'! My father is a touchy subject for me, and I don't appreciate you bringing him up when you don't have the slightest clue what we go through! You know absolutely _nothing_ about me, so stop trying to act like you got me figured out because trust me, you're far from the truth!'

Drew's face displayed nothing but pure shock. His mouth was agape, and his eyes were enlarged. He had literally brought out my bad side, and I wanted nothing more than to stay away from him. The tears in my eyes blurred up my vision, but I didn't care. I needed to get away from Drew, so I ran away from him as fast as I could. I didn't know where I was going, but I was too distraught to care. And as I ran, all I could hear was Drew repeatedly calling my name.

I knew he was chasing after me which made me even more angry. I eventually kept running until I couldn't anymore. I fell down on what felt like grass, and just laid there... crying. I didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve any of this. A few minutes later, and I could hear Drew run up beside me. I didn't look up, but I knew it was him. He knelt down on the ground, grabbing my shoulders in an attempt to get me to sit up, but I made it pretty difficult for him.

At first, I thought he was just going to give up, but unfortunately, I was wrong. Drew picked me up into his arms, and calmly carried me away somewhere. I struggled with getting him to put me down, and after awhile, I just stopped fighting. I didn't have the urge or strength to pry him off of me anymore.

A few minutes had gone by, and I felt him set me down again. I opened my eyes a little bit, and seen we were next to a tree with plenty of shade. I then examined Drew removing the green jacket off of him, and laying it on the ground before gently pushing my body down, forcing me to lay there. He had used his jacket for my head to rest on.

For awhile we just stared at each other with neither of us speaking. It's almost as if we were talking with our eyes. Drew then placed his hand on top of mine.

'...I'm really sorry, May.' Was the last thing I heard his soothing voice say before I closed my eyes again.

I hadn't the foggiest idea what happened after that.

* * *

_**Do you guys think it's sweet that Drew won't leave her alone, or kind of annoying? May said that his constant following of her was creeping her out which basically meant he was seeming to become kind of like a stalker to her. Nonetheless, the way he chased after her to help her even after she yelled at him was pretty thoughtful in my eyes.**_

_**By the way, just in case a few of you didn't realize it, I position the gray line in between paragraphs to show where there's a transition between the point of views, mainly between the major characters.**_

_**I'm in the midst of typing Chapter Three write now, so that'll be ready for you all soon too. And please, review. I love seeing what you guys think of the story and the characters, and the more reviews I receive, the more motivated I am to write, so review, review, review!**_

_**Anywho, tell me what you think, and keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[3+ Reviews for Chapter Three]**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Note: I think you guys are really going to like this chapter. A lot happens, so brace yourselves. Enjoy!**_

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_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Three | Truce.**_

I woke up to the sounds of arguing, pounding, and screaming. I immediately sat up, and scanned around the area to see where I was when I realized I was back at home. The last thing I remembered was Drew's face before I finally passed out. The thumping and yelling had proceeded, and instantly I recognized the voices as my parents'. They argue practically all the time on a day to day basis, so this was nothing new to me, but the controversy seemed to be a lot more serious than usual. If anything, I was worried for my mom. The primary reason why my dad overpowers her all the time in all of their disputes is because he gets pretty... merciless at times.

Scared for my mother, I had stood out of bed with the intentions of going to see her, but just as I was about walk toward the door, the boisterous shouting had ceased. I slowly walked backwards back to my bed until I was sitting on it again, and quickly laid back down. I positioned a hand over my forehead, and moaning out in pain from a severe headache I had recently obtained. As I continued to lay there, I noticed my bedroom door opening, and in walked my mom wearing one of her robes. She quietly closed the door behind her, and leaning up against it as she panted heavily. The longer she stood there, the sooner I believed that I began to hear faint crying.

It was obvious she didn't know I was awake, so I gradually made a movement to get her attention. Her eyes briskly looked at me as she ambled over to me. I had a lot of questions to ask, and she had a lot of explaining to do. I wanted to know how I arrived back home, what happened to Drew, and what her and my dad were arguing about _this time_. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and softly caressed my cheek with her fingers.

'Glad to see you're awake. How do you feel?' My mom asked me serenely.

'Aside from my mild headache, I'm fine. I just want to know what happened.' I told her sternly.

'Okay well, what do you remember?' She questioned me.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to think back to the earlier events between Drew and I. 'Uh, the last thing I remember was laying down under a tree before closing my eyes. Everything else is still kind of a big blur to me.'

'Well, I'm sorry you have a headache, but I found you laying down under a tree in a park. I was on my way to come get you when I rode by, and seen you and a boy together.' She explained, and I ultimately knew she was referring to Drew.

'He told me his name is Drew, and that you guys had got into bit of an altercation before you ran away all upset and crying, so he stayed with you to make sure you were okay. That's when I pulled up, and he helped me to put you into the backseat of the car, so you could lay down. When we arrived home, I brought you up to your room, and you've been asleep ever since. Until now, that is.'

Wow, I couldn't believe even after everything me and Drew went through, he still stayed with me until he was sure I'd be okay. I hated to admit it, but maybe he wasn't so bad after all. He seems like he really regrets the way he treated me, and actually _wants_ us to start over as friends. Nonetheless, I was still going to have my guard up around him. For all I know, this could all be a game to him. He's probably plotting against me at this very moment.

My mother then spoke again. 'Anyway, I'm glad I got you home safe and sound. Dinner will be ready soon, so-'

'Mom, why are wearing your robe?' I briskly questioned, interrupting her.

Her body abruptly went stiff, and her eyebrows raised. 'Oh that, um... I was about to get in the shower.'

'But your clothes are on underneath.' I stated suspiciously, and cocking an eyebrow.

'Right, right. No, I actually just got out of the shower, and I was a little chilly, so that's why I have it on.' She replied unconvincingly.

'But the heat is on-'

'_Just_... get ready for dinner. Okay, May?' My mother exclaimed, and quickly exiting my room. I was already aware that her and my dad got into another argument, but I was hoping she would tell me that herself. And by her poor lying skills, I can also decipher that she was hiding something else under that robe, and if I didn't know any better... I would say they were bruises. But at least I know now where my terrible lying comes from.

About another half an hour had gone by until dinner was ready, and we were all silently eating at the dinner table like we regularly do. I could tell by my father's tense glare that there was something on his mind that was bothering him, and there was only a matter of time before he finally exploded. And if I know my dad, it's going to be about something that concerns me. My parents were actually sitting on the opposite side of the table, while Max sat next to me, texting under the table with a gleeful smirk on his face.

All of a sudden, my dad slammed his glass down onto the table, and gazed at me with an angry and piercing stare. 'Why the hell were you not at school, May!?'

'What... What are you talking about?'

'Don't choose now to act stupid! Why did your mother find you passed out at the park with some boy!?' My father asked me again, but this time more enraged.

I shifted my eyes towards my mother, but she had refused to look at me. Instead, staring down at her plate, and slightly covering her face. I then gulped, and looked back at my dad. 'Dad, I-'

'I mean, what the hell were you thinking!? When she brought you home, there were dried up tears all over your face! Now how do you explain that!?'

I knew the tears had came from when I cried earlier after talking to Drew after school, but of course, I wasn't going to tell him that. On the other hand, I couldn't lie either, so my best bet was just to stay quiet. If anything, he was just going to interrupt me again like he's _been_ doing.

'Why the hell you not talking!?' He yelled at me, while Max and my mom continued to sit there quietly. I knew my mom wanted to say something, but it wasn't going to benefit either of us if she did.

'Why the hell did your ass run off with some boy we don't know when your ass should've been at the school!? Better yet, why were you with a boy in general!?' He shouted at me again. Still, I didn't respond, and that was only making my dad angrier for his next move.

'You little brat, you better speak when I'm talking to you! You hear me!?' He hollered as he threw his drink in my face. My hair, face, and shirt were soaked. Max and my mom stood up from the table in shock, and gasping from what just happened.

'Bet that woke your ass up.' My dad gritted through his teeth.

'Dad, wasn't that a little uncalled for?' Max inquired slightly yelling.

'You shut the hell up, Max! What goes on between me and your sister is none of your concern!'

'It is when you senselessly attacking her for no good reason!' Max argued back.

'Who the hell you think you're talking to like that!?' Our dad shouted back.

'Norman, stop! Max, you go up to your room, right now.' Our mother demanded. Max exhaled deeply, and willingly obeying to our mother's order, but not before glaring evilly back at our dad.

'Now that his little smart ass is gone, go take out the trash, May. And I don't want to hear no ifs, ands, or buts about it.' My dad commanded sternly.

'Norman, don't you think you're taking this too far?' My mother queried, lightly placing her hand on his arm.

'No, the hell I'm not. Now go do as I said, May!' My father bellowed, snatching him arm away, and stomping out of the dining room with my mom frantically following behind him. No matter how I acted around my dad, I was bound to get yelled at or hit. Nonetheless, I listened to my father, and took out the trash. By now, the sky was dusk as I casually placed the bag into a trash can at the end of the driveway.

However, I noticed something moving when I was on my way back. I squinted my eyes to get a better look, and seen the outline of a person. I took a few steps closer, and after awhile, realized that the person... was Drew. I widened my eyes in shock to see him here so late, or here at all for that matter, but also wondering how he knew where I lived in the first place.

Normally I wouldn't want to see his face at all right now, but I wanted to talk to him about what happened earlier. I exhaled slowly, and gradually began walking towards him. The closer I became, the more I can tell he was nervously pacing back and forth up the sidewalk. He appeared really indecisive of what he wanted to do which was strange to me. I was now standing about three feet away from him when he finally acknowledged me. He stopped dead in his tracks, and just looked at me; scanning my body up and down prior to landing his eyes back on my face again.

'May...' He said breathlessly.

I crossed my arms, staring at him incredulously. 'What are you doing here, Drew? How do you even know where I live?'

He walked closer to me. '...Your mom told me right before she left to take you home. How... How are you?'

'Why do you even care?'

'Because _May_, I hated seeing the way you were today. It kills me knowing I'm the reason for why you were crying and upset two times today. You may not want me around, but you're gonna have to do a lot more than just yelling at me to get me to go away.' He told me sternly.

I examined Drew's facial expression, and the tone of his voice, and I could just sense how serious and concerned he was. I want to give Drew a chance, I do, but I don't want the same thing that happened this time to blow up in face the next time. I don't have enough energy in my body for regret.

Since I didn't respond back right away, Drew just sighed, and sat down on the curb. Eventually, I sat down beside him. For awhile, neither of us spoke, but the silence didn't last long since I still wanted to discuss with him about what happened earlier.

'Uhm, my mom told me what you did.' I stated subtly.

Drew looked over at me. 'Oh yeah? And what's that?'

'That you stayed with me after I passed out... Why?'

Drew chuckled. '_Why?_ Because I was worried about you. I know you were mad at me, but that wasn't going to stop me from making sure you were okay after running off the way you did. And when I saw you fall down, I got even more concerned. At that moment, all I was thinking about was staying by your side until I knew you were fine.'

I stared at Drew with the lustrous gleam coming from the moon, and felt myself unable to speak. I didn't know want to say for starters. I absolutely hated Drew just a few hours ago, and now... he was the only person I wanted to be around.

I smiled faintly at him. 'Thank you, Drew... a lot. I really appreciate you being there for me even after everything we've been through in our 48 hours of meeting each other.' I joked, causing him to laugh.

'Anytime, May. I told you I wanted to friends, and I meant it. You'll never have to worry ever again about me disrespecting you, or making you upset... I promise.' Drew stated, and this time, he sounded sincere. I was a little suspicious of him before, but not anymore. I could tell Drew was going to be that person I've needed in my life for a long time.

The next day had approached, and I was currently in one of my classes. After the brief talk between Drew and I last night, I came back into the house, and went straight up to my bedroom. My only focus at the time was staying far away from my dad as possible. I even heard him and my mother arguing again later that night most likely about what had occurred at dinner, but I tried not to think about it. My dad overall was just a scary man. Point, blank, period.

The bell had rang, signaling the end of this period which meant it was time for lunch. I gathered up all of my books, and headed to the cafeteria. I told Misty and Dawn I wanted to eat my lunch alone this time, and found a table outside to eat at. And just as I was about to take a bite out of my sandwich, something across the way caught my attention, and no surprise to who it was.

'Well, you sure look hungry.' Drew uttered teasingly.

I buoyantly rolled my eyes. 'What do you want, Drew?' I asked him. I was talking to him through the gate again.

'Actually, I was hoping you wouldn't mind coming with me somewhere.'

I cocked an eyebrow. 'Somewhere like where?' I asked him incredulously.

Drew smirked. 'You'll see when we get there if you agree to come with me.'

'Hm, I think I'll pass because I'll surely regret leaving the school without anybody knowing about it.'

'But May, I want to show you something, and I know you won't be able to come with me after school, so this is the best time to do it. We'll be back before lunch is even over, trust me.' Drew encouraged.

Something told me this was a bad idea, but I really want to see what he wanted to show me so badly. Besides, if we're back before lunch is over like he claims, then where's the harm in going? As long as my dad doesn't find out I left, nothing can go wrong. I willingly agreed to go with Drew, and we both slyly sneaked out of school. When we met up face to face, Drew gave me the biggest smile as he studied my appearance. It was evident he was happy to be seeing me without a gate in between us.

He soon took the lead to whatever destination we were headed to, and I didn't have the slightest idea what he was up to. Approximately ten minutes had gone by until we were standing directly in front of a house that was clearly a lot smaller than my massive mansion. The home looked big enough for the average family size - two parents, and two kids. I looked over at Drew, feeling perplexed as to whose house this was, and why we were here in the first place.

'Uhm, where are we?'

Drew glanced at me with a grin before replying, 'This is where I live, May. I thought it'd be interesting to show you how _I_ live. My dad isn't here right now, but you can still meet my mom and my sister.' He retorted before guiding me inside, and I had a sneaky suspicion he did this a lot; sneaking away from school to come home for few minutes. I mean, I don't blame him. If I could do that, I'd do it all the time.

'Hey, mom it's me!' Drew shouted through the house. A fairly slim woman with green eyes that resembled Drew's then walked into the room.

'I can see that, Drew and I see you're not alone this time.' His mom responded, looking at me curiously.

'Mom, this is May. We just met a few days ago. May, this is my mother, Leanne.' Drew introduced us.

She smiled at me warmly. 'It's very nice to meet you, May. Drew hardly ever brings anybody over, so you must be one of the special ones.' She winked at me.

Drew immediately blushed. 'Really mom?' He whined.

I giggled from his reaction. 'Nice to meet you too, Leanne.' She then looked back at Drew.

'I know you've gained a habit of leaving school to come home since we live right around the corner, but you're really gonna have to stop before you get in trouble.'

'Yeah, mom I hear you.' Drew groaned. 'Where's the baby?' He then asked her.

'Upstairs in the nursery. I tried to get her to go to sleep, but she's being stubborn, so she's probably wide awake right now.' Leanne explained.

'Great, c'mon May.' Drew murmured, and running towards a set of stairs. We were already on the second floor, and the rooms were all bunched together in one tiny hallway compared to my house. We walked to a room with an open door, and stepped inside to see a crib, toys, a changing table, and lavender color paint on the walls.

Drew and I both looked into the crib, and there we seen a small baby waving her legs in the air, and chewing on a toy. However, the longer I stared at her, the sooner I realized something was... different about her. Drew lifted her into his arms, and cradled her gently.

'May, this is my baby sister.'

'Awe, she's so cute, and she looks just like you.'

'Thanks, and I'm pretty sure you noticed her eyes by now too, right?'

'Yeah, what's wrong with them?'

'She's blind... She was born this way.' Drew admitted.

I gasped out in shock, while covering my mouth with my hands. 'Really? That's so sad.'

'Yeah, but it doesn't bother us. We like her blindness, and I'm not just saying that because she's our family.'

'Then why _are_ you saying it?' I felt like there was a lot more to this than what Drew was telling.

'You see, my mom actually had a miscarriage before she had her, and that was a really difficult time for her. So after finding out she was pregnant again, she didn't even care that her baby was born blind. She was just happy to have her at all. That's why she named her Cecelia. It's a Latin name that means, Blind and instead of disowning her because of her defect, she cherished it.' Drew explained calmly, and bouncing Cecelia in his arms.

'That's the most beautiful thing I ever heard.'

'My mom is a stay at home wife, while my dad goes to work everyday. With him being the only one in the house working, it's sometimes a struggle keeping up with all of the bills, and most of the time we can't. We get by the best way we can.'

'Wow, I... I don't even know what to say.' I mumbled.

'It's alright, but now that you have an insight of my life, you can understand my situation more.'

'Oh, believe me I do.' I stated, nodding my head, and Drew just smiled at me before setting Cecelia back into her crib. Drew may have tried to understand my life, but I would've never guessed how _his_ life was really like. I was really glad he had brought me here, but now I felt obligated to tell him more about my life soon too.

After leaving out of Cecelia's room, we said goodbye to Drew's mother, and made our way back to school with only a few minutes to spare until lunch was over. We said goodbye to each other, and headed our separate ways back to our school to finish off the rest of the day.

When school had ended, Drew and I seen each other one last time, but we didn't talk up close since I seen my dad's car was here. Instead he waved at me, and walked away with Ash and Paul. I had walked up to the car, but I quickly realized that my dad wasn't in it. I looked around the area bewildered, and soon deciding to check inside of the building.

I was busy walking down the hall when I seen him standing in the principal's office through the window on the door. I cautiously walked closer, and leaned my ear against it to hear what they were talking about.

'Are you sure there's no way for the girls and boys to see or talk to each other during school hours?' My dad asked Mrs. Crane, our principal.

'I'm positive, Mr. Maple. The girls from this school, and the boys from the other are entirely unable to speak to one another.' Mrs. Crane assured him, but too bad she didn't know how wrong she was.

'You better hope so because if I catch my daughter talking to anyone of those boys from that school, I will stop her enrollment, and have her home schooled. Do we have an understanding, Mrs. Crane?' My father questioned her menacingly.

Mrs. Crane anxiously nodded her head. 'Y-Yes, Mr. Maple.'

'Good.' My dad groaned one last time before the conversation was over.

I couldn't believe this. My dad's controlling ways were getting worse and worse by the day, and there was no way I could stop it.

My dad was literally turning into a mad man.

* * *

_**Whoo, where to being? Well, you guys got to see a little more of Norman's brutal and abusive side still along with his controlling side, and not just towards May, but Max and Caroline as well. Then there's the scene between Drew and May where he takes her to his house to meet his mother and baby sister who's blind. Evidently, you can see that Drew's life is a lot less glorifying than normal. And lastly, there's the scene with Norman and the principal. I don't want to give anything away, but Norman knows a lot more than you think.**_

_**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for reading. Don't forget to me tell me what you think about all of it because I love reading all of your feedback.**_

_**P.S. I know Dawn, Misty, Ash, and Paul have been a little MIA lately, but they'll be back in the story soon. **_

_**Author's Reply: Amazon Huntress, about your review about whether Misty and Dawn care that they got May in trouble - remember, May's been avoiding them, so they don't know that all of that happened. Not yet, anyway.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[5+ Reviews for Chapter Four]**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Note: I'm so glad everybody is loving the story so far. You guys don't understand how happy I get to read all of your reviews, and see how you feel about the characters and the plot so far. But enough of that, on with the chapter! I believe this is the longest one so far. Oh and btw, there's a little indirect IkariShipping in this chapter too just FYI.**_

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_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Four | Roses are Red.**_

After listening to my father practically threaten the principal, I walked back outside, and got into the front passenger seat of the car. It was bad enough that he scared away all of the friends I had, excluding Dawn and Misty, but now the same was for the boys too, including Drew. He's exactly why I've never had a boyfriend ever in my life, and as long as I'm still living under the same roof as him, it was going to continue that way.

I sat in the seat with my arms crossed, and staring ahead at the road in front of me. Then from the corner of my eye, I could see my dad walking back to the car. His facial expression looked rough, and his body language showed nothing but brute strength. He casually sat into the driver's seat, placed on his seat belt, and drove down the street. For awhile we rode in silence like we always do since my father never likes to have the radio on, but I couldn't take this anymore. I needed to know why he had the audacity to go talk to my principal the way he did.

I exhaled a deep breath. '...So, where were you?' I asked him vaguely. Of course, I already knew the answer, but he didn't have to know that.

My dad glanced back and forth between me and the rode before finally replying, 'Why is that any of your business?' He responded in his usual harsh attitude.

I rolled my eyes in agitation. 'It's my business because you had me out here waiting for you, while you-'

'Shut the hell up, okay May? It is none of your concern about where or what I was doing. Just sit there quietly like a good daughter's _supposed to_ before I slap the shit out of you. Do you understand me?' My father stated rudely and fiercely. I didn't want to listen to him, but I had no other choice. Without my mom being here, there was nobody around to stop him if he had attempted to hit me, so unwillingly... I obeyed.

I shifted my body so my elbow was resting on the side of the car door, and my chin was positioned in the palm of my hand as I stared out of the window. Most girls would probably cry if a man who's supposed be to be their father talked to them the way my dad does to me, but I was so used to it by now that it didn't even bother me anymore. At least, not like it did when I was younger.

When I was about seven and growing up, my dad would literally torture me on a like a day to day basis. He was always bossing me around and telling me what to do otherwise, I'd get hit, and my mom was never around during the time, so I was basically helpless. He even told me that if I ever told her about any it, that I'd regret doing it; that I'd wish I hadn't, so evidently... I never did. As I got older though, the brutality wasn't just on me anymore. He would hurt and curse out my mother as well when she tried to defend me, and even though he would never hit Max, he would still yell at him too if he tried to interfere.

Although I may be use to my dad's constant yelling and harsh ways, I can never get use to his abuse. His hits would sting on my body more than the last, and some of the marks are even permanent. Almost everyday I wish that my mom would leave him, but I honestly think she's too scared of what he might do if she tried, so she just puts up with it. My dad is one of those men that acted like he was the best and nicest man in the world, and then once he got married, changed his ways for the worse. My mom had fell right into his trap just like some of the other unfortunate women in the world, who gets treated the same way.

As we continued to make our way home, I could sense my dad staring at me from time to time especially during a red light, and his glare made me uncomfortable. I took a chance, and stared back at him and his eyes never left mine. Once again, I could tell there was something on his mind he wanted to talk about, but I really wasn't in the mood - not like I ever am - to have a repeat of what happened at dinner last night, so I simply turned my head away. Subsequently, he finally spoke.

'You know I only treat you the way I do because I care about you, right?' He uttered calmly. Was this man serious?

He then sighed. '...I hit on you and yell at you to teach you discipline, but it'd probably happen less frequently if you just did what you were told, and stop doing things that you know will anger me. There's girls your age out here today having sex, getting pregnant, getting drunk, and being killed, and I just don't want the same thing happening to you, so the best way to do that... is to be strict.' My father lectured, and pulling off again once the light turned green.

I wasn't reacting to anything he was saying, but best believe I was listening. This was literally the first time in a long time that my dad actually talked to me calmly and with a leveled head, and aside from that, I was finally getting an understanding of why he was the way he was with me.

'I want you to grow up to be successful with no regrets. I want you to get a proper education, and not worry about useless things like Pokémon and boys. You're still young, so you got plenty of time to worry about liking boys, but for now you need to focus on what's best for you, and the kind of woman you want to be when you get older. Your mother is always trying to stick up for you like I'm the wrong one in this situation, but I'm just doing what she won't. You think about that from now on. I may be brutal, but I'm giving you tough love. I do love you May, I do, but you're going to have to witness it for yourself.'

I couldn't believe it. I was speechless. I thought my dad would try putting me up for adoption before ever admitting that he loves me. I looked back at him as he proceeded to drive and cautiously asked him, 'Well if you love me so much, how come you treat me worse than Max?' If this was one of our rare talking sessions, then this was the perfect time to ask this. However, my dad didn't respond.

A few seconds later and I spoke again. 'Is it because he's a boy? Okay I get it now, he's a male so you think he's strong and smart enough to do what he wants, while I'm just your pathetic, vulnerable, feeble, and helpless daughter, who can't do anything for herself. Yup, it makes perfect sense now. Thanks for clearing that up.' I retorted sarcastically, and gazing back out of the window. And one thing I noticed is that my dad didn't deny my assumptions which was all the proof I needed. He may have claimed he loved and cared about me, but that wasn't going to make the consecutive years worth of crying, bruises, self harm, or horrific memories go away now would it?

Once we arrived home, I got out of the car, slamming the door behind me, and stomping into the house. Overall, I'm glad my dad and I had that little talk, but it didn't make any of a difference to me. He was still going to yell, hit, and control my life like he's been doing. He may claim it's for a good reason, but right now I'm too stubborn and emotionally hurt to care. I ambled up the long staircase up to the second floor where my bedroom was, leaving my father downstairs, but halted dead in my tracks when I heard the sound of my mother's voice.

I steadily and slowly tip toed closer to the door of my parent's bedroom, and softly pressed my ear up against it. This was the most spying I had ever done especially in one day. My mother appeared to be on the phone with someone, but I couldn't decipher who exactly. Nonetheless, I kept quiet, and eavesdropped on their conversation.

'I don't know what to do, Cassandra. He hit me twice yesterday, and now I have bruises on my arm, and a mark under my eye.' My mother mentioned to the person on the phone, who I quickly realized was my Ant Cassie.

'No, the kids don't know about it. I've been trying to covering them up the best I can, but I can tell they're becoming suspicious of me especially May.' My mother responded, and I figured she must've been talking about when I asked why she was wearing her robe yesterday.

'I know you and mom want me to divorce him for the kids' sake _and_ mine, but I just got a bad feeling that the problem won't completely be fixed if I do. It's like my mind is telling me he'll be plotting something, I can just feel it. I am literally terrified for me and the kids.' I heard my mom say, but all I was wondering is what she thinks my dad would possibly do?

'He went to get May from school, so I don't know if they're back yet, but just in case they are I should probably get off of the phone now. I'll talk to you again as soon as I can, bye Cassandra.' And that was the last of their conversation.

I then quickly hurried into my room, and set down my backpack. Hearing my mom say all of that just got me more afraid. My mom could easily just divorce him or call the police, but my father's crazy ways is what's stopping her. And I don't blame her either, but how much longer does she plan to put up with this? While I sat on my bed thinking about it, I heard my bedroom door opening, and in walked Max. He closed the door behind him, and sat next to me on the bed.

At first he just sat there staring down at his hands folded in his lap, and then he looked at me. I observed how his eyes were teary as his nose was beginning to sniff as well. All of a sudden, he wrapped his arms around me as he started to cry. I had hardly seen Max cry, so this was kind of a shocker to me, but I immediately hugged him back. I could tell he was thinking a lot about our situation too.

'May... I can't... take this anymore. I hate... seeing dad hit you and mom, and... yelling at me... whenever he gets mad. I just want him to leave us alone already.' Max cried drastically, and trying to speak in between sniffles. I gently stroked the back of his head, and tried to contain myself from crying too. I had to be strong for the both of us.

'It's gonna be okay, Max because I'm sure mom is going to do something to help all of us real soon. For now, we just have to try not to make dad angry, and everything should be fine.' I assured him confidently.

He glared at me with tears running down his cheeks. 'But what if it's not, May? I feel like we never go a day without dad yelling at one of us, and I was thinking about what happened last night all while I tried to go to sleep, and all day at school today. But I didn't want to cry until I came home, and got to see you. I'm really, really scared of dad May.' Max told me traumatized. It killed me to see him so upset and petrified, so I had to do my best to make him feel better.

I pulled his body away from my mine, placing my hands on the side of his arms, and looking directly into his eyes. 'Max, I promise nothing serious is going to happen. Not to me, not to mom, and definitely not to you. We'll get out of this mess somehow, but for now you've got to be strong. I know you have it in you.' Max faintly smiled at me.

I calmly returned the smile, and tenderly wiped the tears off of his face. I then kissed his forehead, and hugged him again. If Max didn't have me, he'd probably go crazy from fright. Luckily, I was here to protect him.

After Max was okay, he left out of my room to go into his. That's when I eventually went downstairs to find my dad. When I did, him and my mom were sitting on the could all cuddled up, but I could tell my mother wasn't comfortable. She literally looked scared to be sitting that close to him. Anywho, I had asked my dad if Misty and Dawn could come over, but only if I had finished my homework. I told him I did, but of course, he just _had_ to check it. Once that was cleared up, I texted the both of them asking to come over, but I only received a message back from Dawn saying, she was on her way. When she arrived, we went up to my bedroom, and the first thing I asked was where's Misty.

'Ash had a match today, so Misty went to go watch and support him.' Dawn informed me.

'Well, no surprise by that.' I responded sarcastically.

'Yeah, I know. I was actually going to go with her until you texted asking for us to come over, so since Misty decided not to come, I figured I would. You've been avoiding us lately, and I would really like to know how come.' Dawn stated sternly.

I exhaled heavily. '...It's just been a lot going on since the day I went to your contest.'

'Like what?'

'Well for starters, my dad found out I sneaked out, and almost whooped my ass because of it thanks to you and Misty.'

Dawn swiftly held up her hands. 'Hey, I'm sorry you got caught, but you can't blame me and Misty for this.'

'Why not? It was your idea!'

'But it was your own fault for listening to us.' Dawn shrugged senselessly. I looked at her funny, and she soon acknowledged me, sighing out dramatically.

'Yeah, it was our idea May, but you know how your dad can be. You knew there was a chance you'd get in trouble, but you did it anyway. Me and Misty just got tired of not being able to hardly see you outside of school, so that's why we said that. We would've completely understood if you didn't come, though because we know how much of a controlling, pain in the ass your dad can be.' Dawn explained.

'Dawn, would you mind keeping it down? You can't just be talking about my dad all loud and willy nilly like that in our house. I wouldn't be surprised if he was listening by the door right now.' I warned her.

'You're right, my bad, but you know its true.'

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. 'There's a big duh.'

'But aside from your dad, has anything else been happening to you like I don't know- Drew!' Dawn bellowed with a canny grin.

I abruptly widened my eyes. 'What? How did you know?'

'Misty and I saw you guys leave school today during lunch, and judging by the way he was smiling at you, there's obviously something you're not telling us. Wait! Of my gosh, do you like him!?' Dawn exclaimed, causing me to blush a crimson red.

She then gasped excitedly. 'Oh my gosh, you _do_ like him! Awe, little May has her very first crush!' Dawn teased me, and I instantly covered her mouth as she struggled to remove my hand. We were practically wrestling all over the floor until she finally got me off of her with that same gleeful smirk on her. It reminded me of Drew's when he laughed at me for my incident at the Instant Noodle Shop.

'I can't believe you like Drew! Ooh, you two would be the cutest couple ever!' Dawn squealed energetically.

'Can you please lower your voice!? Besides, I don't have a crush on Drew.' I stated sternly with my arms crossed.

'That's what they all say, but you don't have to lie to me May. I know you two have a thing for each other.' Dawn replied incredulously.

'No, we don't!'

'And how can you be so sure?' Dawn inquired. I looked at her perplexed.

'What... What do you mean?'

'Can you really speak for the both of you? You may claim you don't like him, but I'm sure he'd say differently if he were here.' Dawn winked. I quickly started blushing again.

Dawn then laughed at me. 'See? You can't even not blush whenever I say his name, but there's no reason to feel embarrassed. I had a feeling Drew liked you since the first day you two met. All I heard was wedding bells in the background.' Dawn joked as I covered my face.

'And what about you, huh? It's obvious you like Paul, so why won't you tell him already?' I queried, trying to get the subject off of me for as long as I could.

'Paul? Girl please, I don't chase after boys. Paul has to come to me first, and that goes for any guy. That's like the second rule of Girl Code, May c'mon now.'

'Yeah, yeah whatever, but what you do like about him anyway? He's so... intimidating with his fierce stare, and reserved, and emotionless, and-'

'Okay, May that's enough. But I don't know, I guess I like him for all of those reasons.' Dawn claimed, and I quickly cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment.

'I don't get it...'

Dawn sighed. '...I guess I like Paul because unlike most boys, I see him all the time. He hangs around with Ash, and I hang out with Misty who _dates_ Ash, so no matter what we're always together. By now, I've gotten use to his poker face ways and bland personality. He's just so serious all the time, but I know there's a reason for that, that he won't tell anybody, but I'm determined to find out. And aside from all that, he's actually nice to me whenever we see each other. With my optimistic persona, and consistently trying to talk to him, he eventually grew to like me. I like Paul for him, and there's a lot you don't know about him when in actuality he's really a nice person just like anybody else.'

Wow, that was deep. The way Dawn's attitude would just literally shift gears when she talked about Paul was kind of amazing. I admired how she could confidently and calmly say what she liked about him, and not care what anybody else thinks. She takes in Paul's personality flaws and all, and could still be the smart and independent teenager she is. I only wondered now if whether I was the same way?

Dawn had stayed for another hour or so before she finally left as all we did was talk about Drew and Paul. Dinner came later, and fortunately for the rest of us, nothing outrageous occurred with my dad. Just another silent and awkward meal together as a family. Nonetheless, that didn't stop the constant stares my dad kept giving Max and I as if he knew something we didn't, and it was fairly difficult trying to ignore his piercing glare.

Another few hours had gone by until nighttime had approached, and I was busy brushing Espeon's fur before bed after coming out of the bathroom. I was just about to go get into bed when I heard a sound coming from my cell phone, indicating I had a text message. I had figured it was probably Misty since she never replied to my text earlier, but as I glanced at the screen, I seen it was from an unsaved number. I furrowed my eyebrows suspiciously, and briefly read the message.

'Look outside.' Was all it said. I hadn't the slightest clue who sent this, or why they wanted me to look outside, but my curiosity got the best of me. I discreetly peeked behind the curtain in front of my window, and glanced down towards the ground to see a silhouette of someone standing below my window. I squinted my eyes to get a clear vision of who it was, and gasped lightly when I recognized who they were. I quietly and swiftly ran down the stairs, and towards the front door in just my pajamas and slippers, and ran to side of the house near my bedroom window.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I seen him. 'Drew, what are you doing here!? No, better yet how did you get my number!?' I yelled in a whisper.

Drew casually walked up to me with his hands in his pockets, and another one of his jubilant smirks on his face. 'Well to answer your first question, I wanted to see you, and for your other question, your mom gave me your number that day she picked you up from the park.'

'Okay but Drew, you have to go home now! If my dad catches you here, my life will be over!'

'What's the rush, May? I'll make sure your dad doesn't see us, and if he does, I'll take all of the blame.'

'Drew, please! You don't know my dad like I do! You have no idea what he's capable of! And why do you get the joy of coming to my house at so late at night, anyway-'

'May, calm down will you? I got bored at home, so I came here. I just wanted to talk to you.' Drew told me, and gently grasping ahold of my hand as he maneuvered us to another spot in the front yard. He then instructed me to lay down on the grass as he laid down beside me. We gazed up at the sky above us, laying there in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence but more of a peaceful kind. That's when I heard Drew speak.

'You see? Now isn't this nice? Just you and me, sitting up under the stars, and on the night of a full moon. I bet if you did this more often, you'd be less stressed.' Drew uttered serenely.

I sighed heavily. '...Well if only you knew _why_ I was so stressed all of the time, then you would understand why.'

'Then why not tell me now? I'm open to listen if you're willing to talk.' Drew assured me as he looked over at me.

I glared back at him, and then up towards the sky again. I knew if Drew and I continued on with this friendship I'd have to tell him about my life eventually, so why not now? Besides, he already gave me a sneak peek of his life, so I guess it was my turn now.

'Okay Drew, you may have tried to guess what my life was like before, but the only thing you got right was that my family is rich. First off, I'm not a brat even though my father seems to think so, I don't get everything I want just by asking for it; I have to deserve it. I clean up the house and do chores too, so there's no maid. And trust me, I hear the word 'no' so often that I forget what it's like to hear 'yes' for a change. I may be rich, but my life isn't. I have a dad who's abusive and controlling to everybody in the house, and because of him I don't have many friends, I can't go anywhere besides school without adult supervision, and I've... never had a boyfriend. My brother, mother, and I are literally terrified of my dad, but we put up with his brutal ways every single day. You see, my life isn't all that's cracked up to be either.'

When I finished talking, Drew didn't say anything for awhile, so I could tell he was just taking it all in. A few moments later, and he eventually said something.

'Wow, that's a lot, but I guess that's where we can relate. We both don't live the most fabulous lives, but we never let it change who we are or let it affect us.' Drew spoke.

'Yeah, that's where you're wrong. There was a time when I was nine that I tried to commit suicide on myself...' I admitted shamefully. Drew immediately turned his head to look at me.

'No way, really May? Well, you're not thinking about doing it again are you?' He asked me worriedly.

'No Drew, don't worry. I was just so young back then, and feeling so worthless and unwanted, so I did what I could to make it all stop. If it weren't for Max coming in the room when he did, and quickly telling our parents I was 'hurting myself' in his six year old voice, I probably wouldn't be here.'

Drew sat up. 'It sucks your dad is so vile, but I'm really glad you're okay.'

'But I'm not Drew. Yeah, I'm never gonna try to kill myself again, but as long as my dad is still around, I'll never truly be 'okay'.' I told Drew, sitting up as well.

'You're strong though, May and I know you'll get through this rough time in your life eventually.' Drew encouraged with an attractive grin. I stared at him before looking down blushing.

'I should get back home now, so I'll see you tomorrow hopefully.' Drew mentioned, and standing back up as I mimicked his actions.

'Right, I hope so too.' I smiled bashfully.

'But before I go, this is for you...' Drew said, and handing to me a plump, red rose. I stared at it in awe, and hesitantly grabbed it from his hand.

'It's a rose... Why are you giving me this?' I asked him curiously, and my voice low.

Drew shrugged buoyantly and smiled. 'I guess I'm just nice like that, but I really gave it to you hoping it would make you smile.'

I grinned at him passionately. 'Alright well, goodnight May.' Drew said, beginning to leave the property. I watched him leave until he was entirely out of sight, and then stared down at the rose again.

'Goodnight Drew..'

* * *

_**So I realize nothing too interesting happened in this chapter, therefore I'm going to call it a 'filler chapter'. Dawn came back, Max and May had a little sibling moment, we figured out more about what Caroline's been hiding from the kids, and in the beginning with Norman and May's conversation, Norman's attitude was a little less hostile than usual.**_

_**There's also the very end between Drew and May, and it being the first time he gave her a rose. Cute, right?**_  
_**Also, I know some of you are wondering why Caroline won't divorce Norman, but you guys are way ahead of me. Just slow down, and read the story as it unfolds ;) Trust me, you won't be disappointed.**_

_**By the way, there's a little surprise for you all coming up soon, so read and review; read and review... I wonder which one of you can guess what it is? Hahaha!**_

_**Author's Reply: Singing Wolf, I'm so glad you enjoyed the scene between Norman and the rest of the family, but you don't know how hard it is for me to write him as evil and brutal when in reality he's a wonderful father, and a sweet husband to Caroline ^.^ And I love all of the Drew and May moments so far, even their bad ones because it shows how their relationship together is developing. I also like that you like Drew's mom, lol. I know we didn't get to know about Drew's mom in the anime, so I was like... what could be a good name for her? And that's when I thought of the name, Leanne.**_

_**Amazon Huntress, it probably didn't make much sense when I first wrote it, sorry about that. But Dawn and Misty were trying to say that other people were calling her a loser. Not them. They're her best friends, so they would never say or do anything shady like that to her. :)**_

_**Ama Zon, you're welcome! I love reading both of you guys reviews. :) ...And Norman is crazy, I know lol, but it only gets worse from here.**_

_**You guys truly brighten up my day with your positive feedback, really you do, and if any of you are curious as to what my name is, I'd be happy to tell you unless you guys either don't care or think it's awkward. Whatever, just keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[5+ Reviews for Chapter Five]**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Note: I had a hard time with this chapter, so it might not be too interesting. Chapter Six will be a different story on the other hand, so stay tuned. Enjoy! By the way, this chapter starts off in Drew's point of view.**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Five | Shattered Remains.**_

I woke up to the feel of a bright light shining in my face. I struggled to locate the blanket that was scattered across the mattress, and hanging half way off of the bed, but once I did, I lazily pulled it over my body and head to block out the light. I was never a fan of early mornings especially during the school year. As I continued to lay there, my blanket was suddenly snatched off of my body. I quickly displayed my body into the fetal position, and attempted to go back to sleep until the sound of my mother's voice disturbed me.

'C'mon Drew, get up or you'll be late for school. Again.' She stated sternly.

'Can I just rest for ten more minutes?' I groaned sluggishly and exhausted.

'No, you can not, so get up - now!' My mother exclaimed, and extracting the pillow from underneath my head, and buoyantly hitting me with it.

'Okay, okay I'm awake!' I complained, and sitting up in bed as I yawned and scratched my scalp.

'I'm not surprised you're so tired. You came back from May's house with the biggest Kool-Aid smile on your face as if you had just won the lottery or something. I take it you two had a nice time together?' My mother teased and winking.

'Awe, c'mon mom must you feel the need to embarrass me now? It's too early for this.' I argued, and swinging my legs to the side of the bed.

'It's never too early when it comes to embarrassing my little Drew Bear. I like seeing the cute way your face turns red whenever I talk about your girlfriend.' My mom grinned humorously, and pinching my cheek before I swatted her hand away.

'Mom, she's not my girlfriend, and I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that anymore.' I replied in annoyance. 'Drew Bear' is a nickname my mom used to call me when I was still just a toddler, but she knows I hate when she calls me it now, but that's why she keeps doing it.

'Well, if I know you, it won't be that way for much longer. You'll be calling her your girlfriend so often that you'll get the joy out of saying it.' My mother joked.

'Mom, May and I just met, so we're only friends. Besides, May wouldn't want to go out with a guy like me, anyway. I wouldn't even be able to afford to take her somewhere nice for a date.' I replied shamefully and annoyed.

'Oh Drew, stop being so pessimistic. You're a sweet guy, and May's a sweet girl. You two would be cute together, don't you think?' My mother questioned me curiously.

I cocked an eyebrow incredulously. 'Is this a trick question?' I asked her sarcastically.

My mom rolled her eyes. 'You know what, forget it. Just get ready for school. I'll drive you, so you'll get there faster.' She informed me, and promptly leaving out of my room. This is how me and my mom always act with one another. She's literally my best friend, while I'm her 'annoying little nuisance' is what she likes to calls me from time to time. I can tell my mom anything because she understands me, and she's home a lot more than my dad is. May is the first girl I introduced to my family in a long time, so my mom often likes to tease me about having a crush on her which I _don't_, by the way.

After I finished getting dressed, I went into the bathroom across the hall from my room to brush my teeth and wash my face prior to going downstairs to eat breakfast, and allowing my mom to drive me to school with Cecelia in the backseat. It takes about ten minutes to get to school from my house by foot, so it takes about half that by car. When she pulled up by the curb in the front of the building, I reached to backseat to grab my backpack, and leaning over to kiss my mom on the cheek until seeing her later today.

I got out of the car, watching her drive off, and sighing in annoyance of having to dread another day of 11th grade. By the time I made it to my locker, the bell for first period had rang, but fortunately I had P.E. first, and that gym teacher never minds if we're a few minutes late, so I took my time getting there. When I had finally got there, and changed into my gym clothes, I found Paul and Ash on one of the basketball courts shooting some free throws. I casually jogged over to them, and grabbed me a ball for myself.

'Well, look who decided to show up. I thought you was probably gonna skip again like you did last week.' Ash mentioned, while scoring a lay-up. I don't do it all the time, but I sometimes like to skip gym, and then make up some excuse to tell our coach the next day.

'No, not this time. I figured I'd give Mr. Lawson a break. I can't be absent from gym too many times this semester.'

'I guess you _do_ use your head when you want to.' Paul uttered, and standing in place as he dribbled his ball repeatedly.

'Whatever, man. I'm still restless from waking up this morning, so try not to piss me off.' I responded aggressively.

'Can you guys shut up for a minute, and help me out with something, please?' Ash spoke in agitation.

'What is it now, Ketchum?' Paul retorted nonchalantly.

'Alright, Misty called me last night telling me I need to get May a gift for her birthday, but I don't have the slightest clue on what to give her, and her birthday's on Saturday.' Ash explained.

'Why does it matter? Just get the girl a sweater, and be done with it.' Paul stated senselessly.

'C'mon now, Paul can you at least _try_ to act like you care? Nobody's gonna want a sweater in the middle of Spring. What would you give Dawn if it were _her_ birthday?' Ash inquired with a canny smirk.

'Easy, I'd get her that- Wait, when this conversation suddenly go south? You just think you're so funny, don't you?' Paul replied in aggravation.

Ash chuckled. 'I'm just amazed at how you would've answered that question so effortlessly. Mr. Poker Face Paul knows exactly what his girl likes, huh?'

'She's not my girl, and why do you have to use me and Dawn as example, anyway? What would you give Misty if it were her birthday?' Paul briefly asked him.

'The same thing she wants every year. I'd get my baby a new kind of Water Pokémon to train.' Ash remarked confidently.

'Fascinating.' Paul mumbled sneeringly, and scoring another free throw. That's when Ash glanced over to me, but I hadn't noticed it right away. I had the basketball propped up against my hip as I remained deep in thought, so I wasn't listening when he was constantly calling my name. He finally just had to walk over, and tap my shoulder to gain my attention as I glared back and forth between him and Paul in perplexity. I wasn't listening to anything they were talking about after Ash mentioned May's birthday.

'Yo Drew, you okay? You kind of spaced out on us.' Ash told me worriedly.

'What? Oh yeah, yeah I'm fine. Uhm, I'll be right back. I have to... use the bathroom.' I lied, and placing my ball back on the basketball rack before excusing myself out of the gym. I had no idea May's birthday was coming up, but I'm more confused as to why she never told me. I know we just met, so there isn't a lot of things I know about her like interests or hobbies, but if she had informed me ahead of time, I would've been working hard to get the money to buy her something.

It wouldn't be the most extravagant or expensive gift that she'd probably be expecting, but it's better than no present at all. There had to be a logical explanation for why she never felt the need to bring up her birthday, and I was motivated to find out why. A birthday only comes once a year, and she needs something special to happen for her, right? Something she'll remember for the rest of her life, and I was determined to make that fantasy a reality.

The school day had eventually ended, and I didn't talk to May all day primarily because she didn't eat her lunch outside today, and Ash and Paul made plans to go to the mall later to buy gifts for her, but I didn't go since I was broke unfortunately. I had walked the entire way home thinking about nothing except what to give May for her birthday. I wanted it to be something she would genuinely love, but that was kind of hard to think of when I hadn't the foggiest idea of what she liked. When I arrived home, I ran into my mom as she stood in the living room all dressed up to go _somewhere_. I furrowed my eyebrows as I approached her.

'Uh, hi mom.'

'Great, you're home. I need you to watch Cecelia, while I run some errands.'

'Okay, sure.' I agreed to doing considering I had nothing better to do with my time.

'I also need you to watch her this weekend, while me and your father go out.' My mom abruptly stated, and my eyes immediately enlarged.

'Wait, did you say, _this_ weekend? How come?'

'Because your dad and I want to go out. He's been working so hard lately, and he finally managed to get a weekend off, so we're going to spend some time together. Even parents like to have fun too sometimes.' She told me. I couldn't believe this. If I had to stay here babysitting Cecelia, then I wouldn't be able to see May on her birthday.

'Are you sure you can't just send her to grandma's house or something?' I suggested desperately.

'Drew, I'm not sending a few month old baby to your grandparent's house. She can be a hand full, and they don't need that kind of energy or responsibility right now. Besides, why do that when I got you? I mean, you didn't have any plans or anything, did you?' My mom asked me curiously.

I slowly softened my face, and slightly lowered my head as I sighed. '...No.'

'Alright, then it's fine.' She said, and handing Cecelia over to me as I held her on my hip.

'Well, can I at least have Ash and Paul over for the weekend?' I queried hopefully.

'Absolutely not. The last time I left you three here alone, you trashed up my living room with snacks, pizza boxes, and empty ice cream cartons, while you lazed around playing video games, watching T.V., and prank calling the neighbors.' My mother reminded me as I smiled from the memory. That happened last weekend, haha. I then noticed my mom getting ready to leave, and quickly stopped her.

'Okay wait, what if we promise not to do all that stuff, then can they come over?'

'Drew, do you really expect me to believe that three teenage boys are capable of not doing all of that stuff on a Saturday night? Nice try, but I wasn't born yesterday.' She responded sternly.

'C'mon mom, don't be such a Debby downer. You were a teenager once too.'

'Goodbye, Drew.' My mom uttered, opening the front door.

I shook my head shamefully as I watched her. 'You hear that, Cece? Mommy is being so mean to her _only_ son right now. Say, bad mommy... bad mommy.' I said in a baby voice, while I held Cecelia's wrist out to make it look like she was pointing. I then felt a slap against the back my head.

'Ouch!' I yelped, rubbing the back of my head. It didn't hurt that badly, but still enough to feel _some_ sort of pain.

'Don't teach my baby girl to say that. Now I gotta go. Cecelia, you look after Drew; make sure he does his homework, okay sweetie?' My mom said, kissing Cecelia's cheek.

'Haha, funny, but last time I checked, _I_ was in charge.'

'Whatever makes you happy, Drew. I'll see you later.' My mother informed me, and kissing my forehead before leaving out of the house, and driving off down the street. I then closed the door, and looked at Cecelia as I held her.

'Okay Cece, should I do my homework first, or watch T.V. first?' I asked her, and listening to her coo and babble in her cute baby voice as drool was seen all over her lips and chin. Of course, I couldn't understand her, but I knew if she _could_ talk, she'd tell me to do my homework.

'You think I should my homework? Alright, we'll have it your way. I can tell you want your big brother to be really smart, right? See, this why we make a good team. We're always looking out for each other.' I said, and kissing her repeatedly on her cheek, causing her to giggle. It was pretty obvious how much I loved my baby sister. She meant everything to me aside from my mom, and I couldn't wait until she was older.

* * *

'Dawn, what did you get for question number fourteen?' Misty asked Dawn as she stared down at her notebook. The three of us had stayed after school in the school's library to do homework and study for our History exam tomorrow.

'Wait, we're on number fourteen... because I'm only on question nine right now.' Dawn replied after finally taking her eyes off of her cell phone.

'How is that even possible when we're supposed to be working together?' Misty argued.

'I'm sorry, but I had people to message back.'

'Was one of those people _Paul_?' I teased her with a subtle smirk.

'Don't get funny, May but if you must know... yes.' Dawn replied bashfully as Misty and I vaguely laughed at her.

'Listen, I'm all for texting your boyfriend, but we got a lot of work to do, so can you please focus?' Misty asked her.

'He's not my boyfriend, but fine I'll put my phone away. You happy now Ms. Water Princess?' Dawn retorted, and gazing next to her at Misty's book to copy her answers. Misty rolled her eyes in frustration.

'You know, you wouldn't have to do this if you were just working along with us like you were supposed to.' Misty nagged.

'Yeah, yeah whatever. So May, where do you want to have your birthday party at? I was thinking at my house since mine has more space than Misty's.' Dawn suggested.

'Excuse me, but my house is just as big as yours.'

'Girl please, your house is literally like a private aquarium with all those damn fish tanks you have. You bring wild teenagers to a place like that for a party, and those tanks are destined to get smashed.' Dawn mentioned, and Misty stayed quiet considering she had a point.

'Uh, I thought I told you guys I didn't want a party.'

'But May, it's your 17th birthday. You put us in charge, and it'll be the sweet sixteen you never had.' Dawn assured me, referring to her and Misty.

'I said, no. My dad probably wouldn't let me go, anyway.'

'But it's _your_ party?' Misty added.

'Your point? None of that matters to my dad.'

'Forget your dad because I'll make sure you have a party if it's the last thing I do.' Dawn responded confidently.

'But you guys-' I tried to speak, but was quickly interrupted.

'No buts May. Just imagine your party with music, drinks, a pool to swim in, games, and _boys_. Doesn't that sound like fun?' Dawn asked me gleefully.

'No.' I stated sternly.

'Not even if a special someone came to this party? What was his name again? Oh that's right... _Drew_.' Dawn teased, causing me to look down as I blushed.

'If Drew came to this party, you would be a happy camper.' Dawn mentioned jubilantly.

'Speaking of which, you never had your first kiss yet have you, May?' Misty interrogated.

I slightly sunk down in my seat. 'No...'

'This is perfect then! You can play one of the party games, and kiss Drew at the party.' Dawn said, planning the event out in her head.

'Okay, let's get one thing straight - I _don't_ like Drew, and I _don't_ want a party.'

'That's two things.' Dawn notified me. I narrowed my eyes at her in annoyance.

I rolled my eyes before speaking again. 'Besides, I don't want my first kiss to happen from some game like Spin the Bottle. I want my first kiss to be romantic, and alone with that person. Not at some party surrounded by intoxicated teenagers.'

Dawn briskly exhaled a deep breath. 'Don't be such a prissy, May. A kiss is a kiss.'

'Dawn, don't be rude. I actually agree with May, and anyway if she doesn't want to have her first kiss at the party, then she shouldn't have to.'

'There is no party!' I yelled boisterously, forgetting we were in a library, and getting shushed by the librarian.

Subsequently, we all left the library soon, anyway. I said, goodbye to Dawn and Misty, and ambled to my mom's car parked in front of the building. She asked me how my day went as I got into the passenger seat, and then drove off down the road. I knew Dawn and Misty just wanted to do something nice for me on my birthday, but having a party was not what I wanted. Once we arrived home, I walked upstairs to my bedroom, and instantly looked towards my nightstand where I placed the rose Drew had given to me, but only to find out... that it wasn't there. I quickly started panic.

There was only one reason why my rose had suddenly disappeared, so I swiftly ran to the kitchen where my dad was. He was busy sitting at the counter, reading his newspaper when he acknowledged me walk in.

'May, you're home.' He said calmly.

'Where is the rose that was in my bedroom!?' I immediately questioned him. He then stood up from the stool, setting down his paper, and walking over to a drawer. In no time at all, my dad held up the rose.

'You mean, _this_ rose? Yeah, I took it. I was actually waiting until you got home to do this...' His voice trailed off as he began searching through another drawer. Eventually, I seen that he had a pair of scissors in his hand. My eyes instantly widened, and my heartbeat began racing. There was only one thing he was planning to do with those scissors.

I gulped heavily, while shaking my head. '..._Don't do it, dad_.'

'No, I think I will, so watch closely May... This is what fathers are urge to do to precious little roses like this one when their daughters don't do as they're told.' My father said sternly, and positioning the stem of the rose in between the blades of the scissors before carelessly snipping it in two. I watched dreadfully as the bloom of the rose fell gradually onto the floor in front of my dad's feet. I was literally holding my breath. I wanted to say I couldn't believe that he did that, but we all know that's a lie.

And if that wasn't bad enough, he tossed the stem into the trash can, picked up what was left of the rose, and cut the petals into itty bitty micro size pieces. My heart felt like the shattered remains of the rose which wasn't much. I examined the destroyed pieces from the rose scattered all over the floor, and then looked up at my father again to witness a satisfying smirk on his face. I wanted nothing more than to slap that smile off of him. I felt like a ticking time bomb ready to explode. It may have been 'just a rose' to him, but it was way more than 'just a rose' _to me_.

I couldn't take it anymore. I was about to do what I should've done a long time ago because _this_... was only the beginning.

* * *

_**So not too much happened, and that's mainly because I wanted you guys to get a glimpse of Drew's life, and how is relationship is with his mother, sister, and friends. We also learned that May's birthday is coming up on Saturday, and it is currently Thursday in the story so far just so you're all aware. Dawn also wants to invite Drew to the party, but too bad she doesn't know, yet that he has to babysit that weekend.**_

_**Then there was the end between Norman and May. Norman just destroyed the rose Drew gave to her, and only a day after she got it. Like I said before, Norman knows a lot more than you think... more than characters think, and Chapter Six is going to reveal all of that, so get ready.**_

_**Author's Reply: Amazon Huntress, you mean snobbish in Chapter Four? Well regardless, if I had to use one word to describe Dawn, it would be blunt. Dawn tells it how it is, and doesn't typically think first before speaking. She keeps it real, and tells you the truth about anything even if she knows it's a bit harsh. And yes, they know Norman hits her. May doesn't tell them every encounter with her father when Norman hits or yells at her, but she doesn't have to. Dawn and Misty understand by now how crude Norman can be to her, but they don't know about her suicide attempt because it happened before she met them. Remember I said, they all met back in middle school. The only reason why she told Drew before them is because her and Drew can understand each other a lot more when it comes to subjects like that, and Dawn and Misty know how sensitive it is for May to talk about things like that, so they try not to bring it up. And Norman, since May was only nine when it happened, he was pretty concerned when he heard what she tried to do. He may be strict and rough on her, but he still loves her. I hope that clears up all of the questions you have, and don't worry - you can ask all of the questions you'd like because I'm glad to answer them for you. :)**_

_**Ama Zon, Lol no, Norman doesn't have a gun... he has 'other ways' of doing things.**_

_**And just so you guys know, I update everyday as long I receive the needed reviews I ask for to continue. The only time I won't is either if I don't receive the approximate number of reviews, or if I have writer's block, and if don't know what that means, it's when an author doesn't know what to write next. I update around 5 o'clock eastern, so now you know.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[5+ Reviews for Chapter Six]**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Note: I'm so glad a lot of you liked the last chapter, and that a lot more of you are starting to review. I still think Chapter Five was a little on the boring side, but I'm sure Chapter Six will make up for it. It's another really long one, so read, review, and enjoy!**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Six | Surprise, Surprise.**_

I studied the way my father looked at me with that same prudent smirk on his face as if he had just won the battle, but we were _far_ from reaching the end. By the time this war would be finished, _I_ was going to be the one with the victory. I felt my cheeks turning red from anger, and balled up my fists with the urge to punch something. My father perhaps, but I wasn't that lowdown. He may have hit me on a daily basis, but me hitting him back wouldn't solve anything either. The only thing it _would_ prove is that I can be just as vulgar as him because I managed to sink down to his level. I wasn't that type of person, and I didn't want to _be_ that type of person. Compared to him, I had respect for myself and the tell people around me. My heart was pure, while his vicious. Nonetheless, I wasn't going to let him get the last laugh or say in this situation.

'What do you have to say now, May? Upset now that your beloved little rose is dead? I know, how about you just call up your green haired punk to bring you another one?' My dad taunted me sarcastically, and my eyes instantly enlarged.

I stared at him both curiously and bewildered. 'What... What are you talking about?'

'What is this, stupid question and answer time? _Green haired punk_, that name doesn't ring a bell in that pretty little head of yours?' My father retorted crassly and menacingly. I knew he was referring to Drew, but what I wanted to know was how he found out about him in the first place.

'I can see you want to pretend to act like a dumbass when you know damn well you know what I'm talking about! I know all about you and Mr. Greenfields, and that he's the one that gave you that tacky ass looking rose.' My father admitted senselessly, but the fact that he actually had the nerve to not only disregard one of the nicest things anybody has ever thought to give me, he disrespected Drew as well, and I was _not_ going to let him get away with it.

I clenched my jaw with my face tense and frustrated as I took a step closer to him. I was officially in striking range if had decided to hit me, but that was the least of my worries now. 'You want to talk about tacky? Okay, let's talk about your tacky ass personality, and lack of poor judgement! You don't even know Drew, so you have no right to talk about him like-'

'Spare me the boring sob story, May because I don't have to know who this child is to know he's a bad influence on you.' My dad stated nonchalantly.

I furrowed my eyebrows in disbelief. 'Bad influence? And how the hell did you figure that?' I inquired, but as soon as did, I gained a blow to the face. When I had least expected it, my dad had slapped me across the face. I could feel my cheek throbbing as I covered it gently with my hand, and immediately feeling a stinging sensation as I touched it. I looked back up at my father in pure hatred, and cautiously taking a few steps back. I've been hit by my father before obviously, but this time seemed to hurt the most. This literally felt like all the times my father's ever hit me gathered altogether in one slap. This time, I actually wanted to cry... but I didn't. I had refused to give him any unneeded satisfaction.

By the judgement of the slap, I knew there had to be hand print mark left on my face, but I tried to ignore it. At least for the time being. Unfortunately, my mom couldn't save me this time. 'That's what your little foul mouthed ass deserved because I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you're not going to be cursing _me_ out in _my_ own house.' My father told me in his typical spiteful tone of voice. I removed my hand away from my face, and just stared at him with another tense glare.

'I bet you haven't even known this boy for long, and already you're defending him. Well, let me tell you something May... he's not worth it. If he's got you sneaking out of the house past curfew just so y'all can talk about something irrelevant, and then trying to be all romantic by topping the night off with some flower, then he's nothing but bad news for you. You knew your ass shouldn't have left out of the house last night especially to meet some boy, but he convinced you that it was okay, right?' My father queried, asking a rhetorical question. I stood there silenced.

'Of course, he did and look what happened - you got your ass beat, and now you have no more precious rose to hang on to. And let's not forget the time he came to see you when I asked you to take the trash out. Yeah, I know about that too. I already told you I didn't want you worrying about boys or relatioships because all it does is interfere with what really matters like your family and your education.'

'You're wrong dad, and I don't care what you say! You may think Drew's such a negative person to be around, but he acts more like a man than you ever have! Drew understands me and my life, and I understand him! He's a really sweet, nice, and caring person, and I bet you'll be able to see that if you just give him a chance!' I responded confidently. I knew I was basically putting myself in jeopardy of getting hit again, but I didn't care. Me and Drew might've just met, but that wasn't going to stop me from sticking up for him and the friendship we have going.

My dad remained quiet as he just stared at me as I was steady anticipating his next say or action in this case. However, when he finally _did_ say something, I was expecting him to be more loud, irrational, and brutal but instead he just said,

'Okay May, fine. You want me to see just how your green haired friend truly is? Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, so how would you like to make this all happen?'

I was surprised by my father's choice, but satisfied nonetheless. 'We'll invite him over for dinner tomorrow, and then you can see for yourself just what a nice guy Drew really is.'

'_Or_, how I'm the one that's right in this situation. Tomorrow night... you'll see... people's true colors are going to come out, and I'm gonna tell you now... you won't be happy with the results.' My father warned me before walking out of the kitchen, leaving me in there alone. I don't know how I managed to make all of this possible, but I sure hope Drew was up for the challenge.

Once I left out of the kitchen too, I went back up upstairs to my bedroom, and sat on my bed as I pulled out my phone. I found Drew's number in my contact list, and anxiously texted him about the arrangements for tomorrow. My dad was a really tough person to persuade, and I knew he was going to make the night uncomfortable for Drew, but hopefully he could still handle it. All he has to do is a make a good impression, prove I was right about him after all, and my father will have no other choice but to let us continue seeing each other. At least, that was the plan, anyway but nonetheless... I still had my doubts.

'Want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?' Was what the text said as I sent the message. I then plugged my cell phone onto the charger, and laid back on my bed as I glanced up at the ceiling; waiting for the moment Drew would reply, and hopefully say, yes. Since I had nothing else to do for the remainder of the time, I had planned to probably take a nap. My face was still in excruciating pain, so I laid on my opposite side with the cheek that wasn't hurt at all. I was just beginning to doze off too until I could hear my door creaking open.

I didn't know who it was, but I doubt it was my dad, so it had to be either Max or my mom. I heard them come in as they closed the door behind them, and gradually walking towards my bedside. My back was facing the door, so they were standing behind me. I then felt my bed moving as if someone had crawled onto it, and judging by their weight, I could tell who it was. They sat on the bed as they stared down at me, and most likely noticing my face. That's when they spoke.

'...Dad hurt you again, huh?'

I shifted my body, so I could look at Max's face, and slowly sat up. '...How bad is it?' I asked him, referring to the mark left of my cheek. Max stared sharply at me before moving his eyes to my cheek. He didn't say anything. Suddenly, he hesitantly started raising his hand up and towards my face almost asking if it were okay to touch it. I nodded my head, yes.

The tip of Max's fingers tenderly caressed my bruised cheek as I glared directly into Max's eyes, observing his facial expression and reaction. I could tell he felt sorry for me. He felt sorry for all of us. Then I noticed a single tear slide down Max's face. He hated constantly seeing me get hurt, and by the man who's supposed to be our father. One tear then turned into two, two tears turned into more until finally Max was crying just like he had been the day before. I wanted to be strong for Max in this situation considering I was older, but seeing him cry only had me wanting to cry too.

I felt my eyes beginning to water, and blinked a few times to stop it. I then pulled Max close to me, and allowed him to rest his head on my chest. If I was going to cry, I didn't want him to see me. Max eventually said something else.

'You know, May... dad may have given you a bruise on your face... but you're still the most beautiful sister ever.' Max complimented me. The tone in his voice was both low and sincere, and I wanted nothing more than to keep him wrapped up in my arms forever. The light smile he brought to my lips was even enough to get my tears to stop as I replied,

'I love you so much, Max...' Max and I may fight and bicker and knit pick at each other like siblings do, but no matter what he's still my little bundle of sunshine. He always knows the best things to say in a predicament like this, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

'...I love you too, May.' He implied, and lifting up off of my chest; wiping away the lingering tears still visible on my face. I then told him I was about to take a nap, and he insisted on laying in the bed with me so of course, I didn't refuse to his request. He laid on one side of the bed, while I laid on the other with my back facing the door again. I had just closed my eyes getting ready to doze off when a beeping sound suddenly sounded from my phone. I glanced at my nightstand, and seen I had a text message... from Drew.

'Tomorrow night it is. Can't wait to see you.' The message instantly brought a blush to my face which I hated doing since I _don't_ like Drew in that way, but I couldn't help it. He just had a way of easily brightening my day, and Lord knows I needed a lot of that in my life.

The next day had finally came indicating it was Friday which also means my birthday is tomorrow, but I didn't want to think about it. To me, my birthday was nothing special. Just another ordinary day like any other day of the year, and that's mainly because my birthdays were never fun. I didn't have birthday parties when I was younger since I hardly had any friends, and my dad would punish me for something stupid right before my birthday, anyway so I couldn't deserve a party to begin with. If anything, my birthday was probably the worse day of the year for me.

Anywho, I was in free period with Dawn and Misty, while we sat outside doing some last minute studying since we had our History exam next period. Although Misty and I were doing everything in our power to concentrate, Dawn made it pretty difficult for us with all of her complaining. This study session wasn't going anywhere, then finally Misty snapped.

'Dawn, can you _please_ stop chewing your gum so loudly!'

'I'm sorry, but I'm mad, and you know when I get mad I chew my gum obnoxiously.' Dawn explained.

'Uh, tell me again why you're so mad?' I questioned her.

'Because our annoying English teacher, Mrs. Carter gave me a D for that stupid essay assignment we had to write.'

I cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment. 'So tell me again why you're upset?'

'Yeah, she wouldn't give you that grade if you didn't deserve it Dawn.' Misty stated.

'Well if I had gotten an A+ like you did, I'd be saying that too. My essay clearly deserved a C- the least, but she had to be cruel and give me a D. She's lucky I did the work at all.' Dawn argued, rolling her eyes, and chewing her gum even more vigorously.

Misty sighed. '...Dawn, I'm sorry you got a D, but you can't really sit here and think Mrs. Carter gave you that grade because she simply doesn't like you.'

Dawn shrugged carelessly. 'I calls it as I see it, and Mrs. Carter is out to get me.' I rolled my eyes from her unnecessary drama. That's when I felt Misty tap me on the shoulder.

'What is it?' I asked her curiously, and acknowledging the evident smirk on her face as she pointed towards something behind me.

'Look over there... It's Drew.' She informed me, and I quickly glanced behind me towards the gate to see Drew standing on the opposite side. It appeared as though he was asking for me to come over, so I did; hearing Dawn and Misty's snickering in the background as I walked away from our table, and over towards the gate.

I smiled at Drew as I greeted him. 'Hey, what's up?'

'Hey, I was wondering... is there any 'specific' reason why you asked me to come over your house for dinner?'

'Why do you ask?' I queried incredulously.

Drew shrugged. 'I don't know, with everything you told me about your dad, I just find it hard to believe he's allowing me to come over so willingly.'

I bit my bottom lip anxiously. 'Well, now that you bring it up, there is _one_ particularly reason why he's letting you come over...' The look displayed on Drew's face showed nothing but perplexity, so I briefly told him about the argument my dad and I had last night, excluding the part when he hit me, and how we basically made a bet. Drew still seemed a little confused, but at least he understood his entire purpose for coming now.

'Alright, I guess I get it. By the way, I really appreciate you defending me too - well, our friendship, so thanks.' Drew responded gratefully.

'No problem, just be by my house at seven.' I notified him.

'Don't worry, I'll be there. You can count on me.' He assured me with a wink before we eventually said, goodbye to each other. That is, until tonight.

* * *

The time had finally come, and saying I was confident about tonight was an understatement. When I informed my mom I was going to May's house for dinner, she seemed a bit more excited about the occasion than I was; continuing to tease me that this was only the beginning, and the first step to May and I's future relationship. Can you believe her? I don't know how many times I had told her so far that I _don't_ have a crush on May, but even so, she still proceeds to think otherwise. May is just a really close friend, that's all. A really strong... smart... friendly... independent... beautiful... friend.

I was currently standing on the porch in front of the door, and preparing myself to knock. I glanced at my watch a few more times until it finally read, 7:00pm, and calmly rang the doorbell. This was going to be the first time I've ever been inside of May's large and expensive estate, and the first time I'd be meeting her father. Nonetheless, I still wasn't nervous. Nope, not me. Not nervous at all. A couple more seconds later, and someone finally opened the door. And that someone... was May.

She was wearing the most elegant looking floral dress with white heels, and a simple but shiny silver necklace wrapped delicately around her neck. I stared at her in awe with my mouth agape, and standing stiff as a board. The only clothes I had ever seen May in were her school uniform and pajamas, and even wearing those she looked amazing. But this... this was the best outfit by far. I was still in a dazed expression from looking at her, so I wasn't aware when she grabbed my wrist, and pulled me inside.

'Drew, you're not even dressed up! Why didn't you come in a suit or something?' May exclaimed in a low whisper.

'Uhm excuse me, but this so happens to be my best casual night wear.' I joked, and modeling my outfit. Truth is, I didn't have anything 'fancy' in my closet to wear, but even if I did, I wouldn't wear it anyway. May buoyantly rolled her eyes.

'My dad won't be impressed by that, so hopefully your personality will make up for it. Don't blow this for us Drew.' May warned me apprehensively.

'May, will you relax? I want to make your dad happy too, but not by dressing up or acting like someone I'm not. If he won't accept me for who I am, then I guess that's it.'

May smiled faintly, while looking at me skeptically. 'You're right, Drew. Let's just go in there, have a nice night, and hopefully everything will turn out the way we want it to.' She then guided me to the dining room area where I seen her mother, brother, and father already sitting down. As soon as we walked in, they all stood up.

'Max, mom, dad... this is Drew. Drew, this is my brother Max, my mother Caroline, and my father... Norman.' May introduced subtly.

I smiled at all of them kindly. 'Hi, it's nice to meet all of you.' That's when her father walked over to me, towering over my body, and staring down at me with a fierce glare.

'I've heard a lot about you son from May, and according to her, you're a 'really nice guy', but I'll be the one, who determines that tonight.' He announced intimidatingly. I hardly said two words to the guy, and already he was pressuring me. I could tell this night would not be going smoothly. Once we all received our dinner which consisted of lobster, steak, and a baked potato with some vegetables on the side, the questions immediately started rolling in.

'So... Drew, is it? What is it exactly that you like to do in your spare time. Looking up colleges I assume.' Norman vaguely asked me, quickly hitting me with the hard questions. I could already tell there was something specific he wanted out of me, but too bad for him he wasn't going to get it.

'Actually, no not really. I spend a lot of my time training with my Pokémon, and competing in contests.' I informed him, and he abruptly looked at me with a crazed expression.

'Pokémon... Contests? That would mean you're a Coordinator.' He remarked tensely. There's a big duh.

'Yes, that is what they call it, sir.' I replied sarcastically, and gaining a nervous stare from May.

'How could you possibly be wasting your time affiliating yourself with something as useless Pokémon when you could be planning ahead for your future!?' Norman interrogated obviously getting mad, but I wasn't fazed by his obnoxious outburst for a minute.

'Because _sir_, Pokémon are wonderful creatures with many skillful talents and abilities, and they deserve love and care just as we humans do. A lot of people actually find the career they want to do _with_ Pokémon which is just as great as being a judge, an athlete, or a doctor.'

'How _dare_ you even compare Pokémon Trainers to people like me, who actually have real well paying jobs!? That's a disgrace and an insult to people like me everywhere!'

I shrugged nonchalantly. 'I'm only stating facts, sir.' I responded, and calmly taking a bite out of my steak. If I kept acting like his harsh words and loud temper tantrums weren't bothering me, then he'd be the one looking stupid, not me.

'Well, your inaccurate facts are false. Here's another question for you, how are your grades in school?'

'Hm, about average.' I retorted calmly.

'And what's 'average'?' He questioned me.

'You know, a couple B's here... a couple C's there.'

Norman briskly widened his eyes. 'B's and C's? You mean to tell me that your ass is so pathetic that you can't even regularly get an A!?'

'Dad!' May shouted in disbelief from his comment. I should've been a lot more offended by his remark, but I wasn't.

'Nobody's perfect, sir.' I stated plainly, and taking a dramatic sip from my glass. I could tell Norman was far from pissed by now.

'You know what, _out_! Get this boy the hell up out of my house, _right now_!' Norman hollered in a rage, and standing up from his chair as he pointed out of the room.

'Norman, please don't get so upset! Drew's just being honest with you!' Caroline spoke as she stood up from her seat as well along with Max.

'_No_, he's trying to piss me off, so y'all better get him out of my house before there's hell to pay!' Norman yelled, and walking towards the entryway of the dining room on his way out, but not before stopping, and looking back at May and I.

'And May, I forbid you to talk to this green haired pain in the ass ever again! _I mean it!_' Norman uttered, and stomping out of the room. May quickly stood up from her chair in a protest, and swiftly knocking over her glass which spilled all over me and my clothes. She glared at me, and gasped as she seen what had happened.

'Oh my gosh, Drew I'm so sorry!' She yelped, and frantically trying to wipe my shirt dry.

'May, it's okay... Really, you can stop now... _May_!' I exclaimed getting her attention, and she finally stopped. She then plopped down in her chair, covering her face with her hands.

'This has been the _worse_ dinner ever.' She groaned. Max then got up from his seat, announcing he was going to check up on Caroline, and briefly left the room. May and I were now alone, and I slowly slid my chair closer to hers as I touched her shoulder.

'I should be the one who's sorry May. I know how important this night meant to you... and I blew it. I really hope you're not mad at me.' I asked her hopefully. She then looked at me, and grinned soothingly.

'I could never be mad at you, Drew. You were just being yourself, and my dad couldn't handle it. I can't say I'm surprised, though.' She told me, and I exhaled a sigh of relief. May was seriously the greatest girl ever.

'...Thanks, May.' I said smiling at her. After awhile, I helped her clean off the dining room table, and while I did that, she told me something else.

'My dad uhm... killed the rose you had given to me. I'm sorry, Drew.' May apologized shamefully. At first I couldn't believe her dad would do such a thing, but after seeing his behavior first hand tonight, I could believe it.

'Don't worry, May. It'll be okay.' I assured her, obtaining another satisfied grin.

Once we finished cleaning up, she was getting ready to walk me out when we seen her father standing by the door with Caroline and Max standing off to side looking just as confused as May and I were.

'Uhm, don't worry dad. Drew was just about to leave.' May told him.

'That's good, I'm happy to hear that. But May... there's actually somebody that I want you to meet.' Norman replied creepily, and soon opening the door.

May and I both gasped simultaneously - most likely for different reasons as we stared at the person in the doorway. What the heck was _he_ doing here?

* * *

_**Alright, so let's discuss all that happened. The chapter started off with a continuation from last chapter with a fierce argument between Norman and May, and you guys finally got to see Norman actually hit her. Then there was the agreement or 'plan' they made to let Drew come over for dinner which didn't go accordingly like May had hoped. Nonetheless, I'm glad Drew continued to act like himself instead of something he's not. **_

_**You guys also got to see what I meant by when I said, Norman knows a lot more than the characters think. He knew all about Drew and May talking to each other, and now he has somebody coming to the house to see her. Pretty unexpected, right?**_

_**And has anybody noticed how Drew and May keep denying the truth of liking each other? They're so adorable, lol.**_  
_**Anyway, we're about to meet a new character, so stay turned!**_

_**Author's Reply: Tsidy, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far, and I admire your compliment very much. Btw, your English is fine. If I can read and understand what you're trying to say, then you're good. :)**_

_**Singing Wolf, I'm happy you still liked the chapter, but I was going to make sure I made Chapter Six even better, so hopefully I succeeded with doing that. :)**_

_**Shelbyrox21, Sorry to leave you hanging, but if you just read Chapter Six, then you understand why, lol. Hope you liked it. :)**_

_**Amazon Huntrees, You're welcome, and I'll never let you know if you start to irritate me even if you are because that's mean .-. so ask as many questions as you like. And no, Leaf and Gary will not be making an appearance. But I'm sure you just finished reading Chapter Six, so you know by now that a new character is coming. :)**_

_**Ama Zon, I don't want the story to be too cliché or predictable, so having May run away will not happen. She's already tried to commit suicide once in her life because of Norman, but she's older now so she's a lot more stronger mentally and she refuses to let him win. She's not going to let him get the necessary satisfaction or the last laugh even if that means dealing with his brutal and manipulative ways. :)**_

_**Remember, I update everyday as long as I gain the needed number of reviews I ask for, so the more of you that review, the quicker the chapter comes.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[7+ Reviews for Chapter Seven]**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Note: I honestly feel like I kind of struggled with some of this chapter, but hopefully you all still like it. It's another really long one. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Seven | A Nightmare from Hell.**_

I stared at the unknown person in the doorway with a bewildered expression since I had no idea who they were, or what they were doing here in the first place. He was a male with black hair and brown eyes, and seeming to be about my age, or a year older. And considering from the way he was dressed, I could tell he came from a wealthy family as well. He glanced around the room at all of us with a warm smile on his lips before subsequently planting his eyes on me. He studied my facial features and appearance as I noticed his grin gradually get wider.

I glared next to me at Drew to see an agitated look on his face. It was evident he had met this guy prior to now, and the relationship between them was anything _but_ pleasant. Drew's body instantly became stiff as his tense stare was fixated on the mysterious guy in front of us. I had never seen Drew so flustered and seemingly uncomfortable, so seeing him like this now just from looking at someone had me both worried _and_ confused. I then glanced at my dad acknowledging the proud smirk on his cheeks as we all waited for him to say something.

'Uh dad, would you mind telling us who this is, and why he's here now of all times?' I questioned my dad first.

'Certainly. May, this is Brendan. His father and I work on the same job, so he's told me much about him. I thought you two could meet and... get acquainted.' My father stated with a sly grin. My eyes immediately enlarged, and I could sense Drew balling up his fists just from the comment.

'I think you two would get along much better considering Brendan's actually one of _us_.' My dad retorted, moving his hand in a circular motion to refer to everybody in the room except for Drew. I gasped quietly from his statement, and vaguely looked over to Drew. By now, his face and glare wasn't so tense anymore, and his hands laid calmly by his sides. It was obvious he knew exactly what my father meant when he stated that comment. I'm sure everybody did.

I looked at my father again. 'Dad, you can't be serious! You actually had the audacity to bring another guy here for me to meet the same time Drew was here? Do you know how shady that looks? I mean, how low can you go!'

'I'm only doing what's best for you May.' My father replied nonchalantly.

'You see, Brendan here goes to a private school just like you. He gets straight A's, Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, he's on the Debate team, he's never been suspended or gotten detention ever in his life, and he already has a scholarship for college. This boy right here is _twice_ the brains of that boy there.' My father explained, pointing at Drew. We all stared at Drew to examine his reaction, but he appeared rather emotionless. It's like Drew wanted to say something, but had refused to.

'Dad, you're being completely unreasonable right now. Just because Drew isn't the most 'perfect' student when it comes to school, doesn't mean he's any less spectacular than someone who is.'

'You just don't get it, do you May? Brendan is who you need in your life. Not someone who rather wastes their time with something as ridiculous as Pokémon Contests.' Norman responded mockingly.

'And what's wrong with Pokémon!? I've bet if you just took the time to watch a Pokémon Contest, you'd see how much fun they are, and how well Pokémon bond with their Trainers!' I exclaimed defensively. If Drew wasn't going to speak up, then I'd gladly do it for him. I knew if he had been choosing to speak, he'd say something fairly similar and confidently too. I knew Drew must've just been keeping quiet because my dad was basically insulting him right in front of his face, and then to top it off, bringing over another guy to make him look bad.

My dad rolled his eyes doubtfully. 'Please May, don't make this harder than it needs to be. Since you want to associate yourself with _boys_ so much, then Brendan's the way to go. Not with some green haired punk who's in the lower rank society.'

This time everybody in the room gasped as they looked at my father in disbelief. That was seriously a low blow, and my father didn't need to go that far. Nonetheless, he wasn't remorseful about his comment the least bit. Instead, he stood there staring at Drew with a canny smirk, waiting to see what he was going to do. We all looked at Drew as he stood there silently and most likely embarrassed too. I wanted to say something to make sure he was okay, but what could a person genuinely say that could heal the feeling of being called 'poor'.

'Drew...' I mumbled as I lightly touched his shoulder. He gazed at me with a hateful expression, and snatched his arm away as he ambled past everybody including Brendan and my father, and leaving off of the property. I actually felt tears coming to my eyes from witnessing the way Drew looked at me like he regretted ever meeting me, and abruptly walking out of the house. Once Drew was no longer in sight, everybody looked back at me feeling concerned, while my father on the other hand looked pleased and satisfied.

I shifted my eyes between all of them until they landed on Brendan, and surprisingly... he looked more sympathetic about the situation than my dad did. My father then draped his arm over his shoulder, and walked Brendan closer to me, so we were standing face to face.

'Now that Mr. Greenfields is out of the picture, you two can spend some time together. How's tomorrow afternoon sound? What do you say, May?' My father inquired carelessly of the entire situation, and looking at me as he anticipated my answer. I stared at him spitefully before briskly running away, and upstairs towards my room. And as I did, this is all I heard my father say,

'She'll see you tomorrow.'

The morning had came indicating it was Saturday, and all I did last night was cry and text Drew. I've sent him message after message... voicemail after voicemail, but he still won't talk to me. It was obvious he was ignoring me, but it's not like anything that happened last night was _my_ fault. I didn't know my father was having another guy come to the house, and I _certainly_ wasn't expecting that rudely comment he made either. So why he was he upset with me? I was so distraught from the entire thing that I didn't want to do anything, but stay in bed all day. And that's exactly what I was doing when I heard my bedroom door open.

I was laying on my back with my body under the covers, and my hands folded on top of my stomach. I could see from the corner of my eye that the person, who came in was Max. He casually walked over to me, and sat down on the bedside. Max glared at me for a few seconds before finally saying something.

'Happy Birthday, May. You know breakfast is done, right?' He questioned me, but I didn't respond. I was too upset to eat, anyway. And honestly, I had forgotten all about today being my birthday.

I then heard him sigh. '...I know you don't want to hear this, but Brendan's coming by later today to pick you up, so y'all can hang out.' I was already aware of that, but I wasn't going anywhere today especially with Brendan. If I wasn't going out to see Drew, then I was going to stay upstairs in my room all day. I could tell Max was getting annoyed by lack of communication with him, but the thought of Drew avoiding me was driving me crazy.

Max then spoke again. 'Are you still upset about Drew? Because if you ask me, I think it's a waste of time.' He uttered truthfully. Just the thought of hearing Drew's name sparked my interest, and I calmly sat up to look at Max.

'...Why do you say that?' I asked him lowly and curiously.

Max shrugged. 'I don't know, I guess because you're kind of acting like dad right now.'

I cocked an eyebrow at him feeling offended. 'Max, how could you say something like that!?'

'I just mean, you're being hypocritical. I'm sure you and Drew didn't hit it off right from the start, but you gave him a chance, and soon y'all became friends. You then told dad to do the same thing.' Max explained.

'And? Your point? I still don't understand how that makes me a hypocrite.'

'Because you're acting just like _him_, but with Brendan. I know it was wrong for dad to basically find a guy he rather you hang out with, and now you want nothing to do with him. But you're not giving Brendan a chance, he might not be such a bad person. Yeah, he's good in school, but how is he social wise?' Max lectured to me, and the scary part was how he actually made sense. I didn't realize it until he said it, but I guess I was being a hypocrite just like my dad.

'I just think you need to practice what you preach. If Drew doesn't want to talk to you anymore because of something dad said which you had no control over, then that's on him. But Brendan is still here, and you never know - you might actually grow to like him. Maybe even more than Drew...' Max concluded. Although I didn't like the part about possibly liking Brendan more than Drew, Max did have a point. I guess even little brothers can give good advice too.

I smiled gently at Max as I replied, 'You're right, Max. I could at least give Brendan the benefit of the doubt, and at least _try_ to get to know him. No sense moping around my room all day for somebody who's ignoring me, anyway.'

'Glad you see it my way.' Max uttered sneeringly, and soon exiting out of my room. I hadn't lost hope on Drew or our friendship, but I had to move on with my life with or without him even it that's means with somebody else. I got out of bed, making it up, and walking to my closet to find a nice outfit to wear for a typical Spring afternoon. I then went into the bathroom located in my room, and took a shower, brushed my teeth, and styled my hair. The more time I spent thinking about how this time with Brendan will possibly go, the more anxious I became.

I then walked into the kitchen to eat breakfast, noticing my dad reading the paper again, and sensed him staring at me. 'I see you're all dressed up. Excited about hanging out with Brendan today?' He asked me calmly. My dad could be nice just like any other father, but only as long as nobody pissed him off or disobeyed him.

'Actually, I am. Did he happen to say where he was taking me?' I asked him.

'He did, but I'll let you figure that out for yourself.' My father implied, trying to keep it a surprise. I guess I could respect that. The time was only about noon, and Brendan wasn't scheduled to come until four, so I spent the rest of my time playing with Espeon. With everything that's been going on these past few days, I've kind of been neglecting her. We eventually ended up taking a nap together in the midst of all our playing, but I was eventually woken up from the feeling of someone shaking me. It was my mom telling me Brendan was here. I could instantly feel all my nerves coming back as I said, goodbye to everyone.

When I got outside, I seen Brendan waiting for me on the porch, and his expensive car parked in our driveway. No lie, I was impressed. I then looked at him as he said something.

'You look beautiful, May. Shall we go?' He asked me, gesturing his hand for me to take. I gazed at it skeptically, but soon placing my hand with his. His hand was smooth, and slightly larger than mine. He then politely guided me to his car, and helped me inside. The interior was in perfect condition. Clean and fresh, and still seeming to have that new care smell. Brendan then got into the driver's seat, and pulled out of the driveway. I had never been inside of a guys' car before, nor have I ever been allowed to hang out with a guy by myself before, so my dad must've really trusted Brendan.

As we rode through the town together, it was evident I was pretty bashful and nervous. Brendan had his music on in his car, and persistently trying to start a conversation with me in order to make me feel more comfortable. Subsequently, it worked. At first he started off just telling me funny stories about him and his family, and telling jokes to get me to laugh and loosen up. Some of them were pretty corny, but I admired his attempts. That's when I seen our destination. He had taken me to a restaurant for lunch. Once we were seated and eating, he started asking me about myself. You know, questions about my interests and hobbies, favorites foods and shows, favorite color - that sort of stuff. I had just met Brendan, though so I wasn't going to tell him all about my personal life right from the beginning.

'I'm not going to lie, I'm actually surprised you came.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, with everything that happened with Drew, I thought you'd want nothing to do with me.' Brendan admitted.

I started to feel uneasy. 'Yeah, but once I opened my eyes, I figured it wouldn't do any harm. You're actually really nice.'

'Thanks, but you had me kind of nervous at first. I know your dad wants me to impress you, and when you wouldn't hardly say anything to me, I thought I was blowing my chances.'

'Sorry about that. This was all just so sudden, but would you mind if I ask you a question?'

He shrugged casually. 'Sure, go ahead.'

'By any chance, do you and Drew already... _know_ each other?' I queried incredulously. I could sense he was uncomfortable with the question which made me want his answer even more.

'...Yeah, I guess you can say that. We go to the same private school, but we're not really the best of friends per-say.' Brendan told me.

'And why is that?' I wondered. There had to be a reason why Drew got all tense yesterday when he saw Brendan, but I wanted to know why.

'Honestly May, I think Drew should probably be the one to tell you. It more so concerns him than me.' Brendan replied, dismissing the conversation. I gazed at him suspiciously, and awkwardly taking another drink from my glass. That's then when I felt my cell phone vibrate in my purse. I took it out hoping it was a message from Drew, but it was from Dawn instead.

'Happy Birthday, May! Party tonight at my house, and you better be there.' Is was the message read, and I groaned out in annoyance. I specifically told her and Misty I didn't want a party, but of course, they had to throw one anyway. Do you know how stupid that would look if the birthday girl isn't even at her own party? I know my dad wouldn't let me go whether it was my party or not, so they're wasting their time. Brendan then spoke.

'What's wrong, May?' He asked me concerned.

'Nothing. My friends are just throwing me a party tonight for my birthday after I told me a million times I didn't want one.'

'It's your birthday? Why didn't you tell me?'

'Because I don't care about my birthday, and I wish my friends didn't either.' I uttered in agitation.

'Well, Happy Birthday, but how come you don't want to go to your party?' Brendan interrogated.

'The party scene just isn't me, and my dad wouldn't allow it, anyway.' I stated.

Brendan smirked cannily. 'That's where you're wrong, May. I don't think you realize it, but with me in your life, there's nothing your dad won't let you do.'

I furrowed my eyebrows in perplexity. 'What do you mean?'

'Your dad loves me. He thinks I'm a great influence on you, so as long as you say we'll be together, there's nothing he won't let you not do ever again... even if we happen to lie about exactly it is we're going.' Brendan explained, winking at me, and he was actually making sense. As long as I told my dad that Brendan was going to be with me wherever it is I was going even if it was a lie, he'd be okay with it.

'Okay Brendan, and how do you suppose we go about doing this, so we can go to my party tonight?' I questioned him.

'Don't worry, May. Just leave all of that to me.' He assured me, so I took his word for it. I just hope I wouldn't regret it.

* * *

I am seriously a skillful mastermind. I told May I'd take her to that party, and I did. Her father Norman can be so easily persuaded and gullible when it comes to people he trust, that lying to him about where we were going was effortless. Norman may trust me to take care of his daughter, but that still doesn't mean I could just simply tell him we were going to a party. An atmosphere with wild teenagers and alcohol, he'd surely would've said, no. When May gave me the directions to her friend's house, there was no going back.

We walked inside to a large mansion with blasting music, teenagers dirty dancing, making out, and even some skinny dipping into the pool in the backyard. It was obvious Dawn knew how to throw a party, and that she did this often. Her parents must've been gone for the weekend, so she was definitely taking advantage of their absence. I glanced over at May, and observed the fretful expression on her face as if she didn't want to be here anymore. I then grabbed her hand to get her attention.

'Are you okay, May? You look kind of scared?' I spoke into her ear. She looked at me apprehensively.

'Oh no, I'm just not... used to all this, that's all.' May replied skeptically.

I smiled at her warmly. 'Don't worry, May. I'll make sure you have a good time.'

May studied my face as if she was searching for some sort of evidence of trust, and slowly nodded her head. That's when her friends, Dawn and Misty walked over to us.

'May, you made it!' Misty bellowed excitedly, and hugging her tightly with Dawn doing the same.

'You're gonna love your cake when you see it!' Dawn told her, and I could tell already she was pretty tipsy.

'Uh, thanks guys, but who are all these people? I don't know a majority of these people here!' May said over the music.

'That's the whole point May! It's your birthday, and now you can mingle, get drunk, and have a good time!' Dawn explained energetically.

'Yeah, and starting with get drunk!' Misty said, handing May a shot. May stared at it hesitantly before shaking her head.

'No, thanks. You guys know I don't drink.'

'But it's your birthday, May! Have some fun for once!' Dawn retorted over the blaring music. I glanced at May again, and I can tell she really didn't want to do this. She then slowly began reaching for the shot glass, anyway until I quickly stopped her by placing my arm out in front of her. Dawn and Misty looked at me in a shock.

'Listen, I don't think you guys should force May to drink if she doesn't want to.' I uttered sternly.

'And who the hell are you to be telling us what we can and can't do with our best friend!?' Dawn yelled at me.

I raised my eyebrows at her. 'Excuse me, but I'm the one, who _brought_ May to this party!'

'Well, _excuse me_, but I don't remember asking you to!' Dawn argued.

'If it weren't for me, your best friend wouldn't even be here right now!'

'Brendan, stop! I appreciate you trying to protect me, but I don't need you arguing with my best friend right now!'

I looked at May in disbelief. I was only trying to make her more comfortable, but she was choosing to listen to her intoxicated friend, who's busy slurring with her words over me.

'C'mon May, let's go have some fun, and get you away from this boring ass party pooper!' Dawn said, tugging at her arm.

'I was only trying to protect her!'

'Yeah well, she doesn't need that from someone like you! She already has her dad for that!' Misty yelled at me, and walking away with Dawn and May. I watched as May was being taken away, and she never once looking back. I stood there alone, confused, and frustrated. I wanted May to like me because it wasn't no question how I felt about _her_. I just knew this party was going to lead to nothing but trouble.

May may have been taken away from me, but I made sure to keep a close eye on her. The only time I stopped was when I went into the kitchen to get me something to drink that _wasn't_ alcohol. I mean, I did have to drive later. I had found me a bottle of water, and stood in the kitchen as I drunk from it, but soon noticing a cracked door opened. I took a closer look, and seen it had lead to the basement. I became curious as to what or _who_ was down there, and cautiously walked down the steps. When I got halfway down the staircase, I could see about twelve teenagers sitting around the room snorting and injecting... drugs into their bodies.

I widened my eyes in shock, and then walked over to the person, who seemed to be the one giving the drugs out which looked like Cocaine. He had red hair and red eyes to match.

'Hey, are you the one, who smuggled drugs into Dawn's house?' I immediately questioned him.

He looked up at me nonchalantly. 'Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Why, you trying to buy some?'

'What? No, does Dawn even know you're doing this?'

'What she doesn't know, won't hurt her. And as long as nobody snitches, then everybody's happy.'

'And what's that supposed to mean?'

'It means, I'm making a huge profit off of selling this crack, so I'm happy. My customers are getting high, so they're happy, and since Dawn doesn't know, she'll be happy. It's a win, win situation, so as long as people here keep their mouths shut, everything will be fine. You picking up what I'm putting down?'

This conversation was getting nowhere with this guy, but I wanted no part of this since he was bound to get caught, so I left back upstairs. The party had been going on for about three hours now since we got here, and I felt like everybody was having a good time except for me. I went back into the living room area of the house to find May, but she wasn't with Dawn and Misty like she was before I went into the kitchen. I instantly started panic. Nonetheless, I tried to find Dawn first to not only ask for where May was, but to tell her what's going on in her basement. Unfortunately for me, she was too wasted to understand anything I was saying, and Misty was nowhere to be seen either.

I didn't know where May was, but I was determined to find her because I knew she had to be drunk, and possibly off with someone doing something she's not supposed be doing. If her dad were to find out about what she went through tonight, he'll kill me _and_ her at the same damn time.

This was seriously a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

* * *

_**Like I said at the beginning of the chapter, I kind of had a hard time with the party scene and everything with the drugs, but hopefully it made sense and was interesting because I did do my research. And if not, sorry about that. I tried to think of something different and outrageous for May's party because I've read stories before where there's a party, character gets drunk, has sex, blah blah blah, so I wanted mine to be different, and I'm not finished yet. You'll get the conclusion of what happens in the next chapter.**_

_**And just in case some of you still didn't understand it when it was being said in the chapter, I basically meant that now that May has Brendan in her life (a guy her dad trust so well), she's now able to do all of the stuff she couldn't do before without him pestering and questioning her because as long as Norman believes she's with Brendan even if she isn't, her father will be okay with it since he trusts his daughter to be out with someone like Brendan than someone like Drew. And really depending on the thing they want to do, or the place they want go, will determine whether they have to lie about it or not. Brendan's not a bad guy, he only lied to Norman about where they were going this time because in this case it was necessary. Does all of that make sense? I sure hope so, lol.**_

_**Also, some of you guessed it right, the new character is Brendan (from the games), and I basically wanted to make it so he was actually really nice just like Drew is. I know some of you wanted him to be mean to May, but I think this way will be better. And rather than doing a recap of what went down in the chapter, I have a few questions I want to ask you guys about instead if you don't mind answering some of them if not all of them.**_

_**1. How did you feel about Norman referring to Drew as part of the 'lower rank society'? Do you think he was out of line for saying that?**_

_**2. Do you think Drew really has the right to be mad at May?**_

_**3. Do you think Max was right when he called May a hypocrite, and basically persuaded her to give Brendan a chance?**_

_**4. What do you guys think it is for why Drew and Brendan don't get along?**_

_**5. Do you think Brendan was right or too over protective when he tried to get May not to drink at the party?**_

_**6. How well do you guys like Brendan and his personality so far? Do you think him and May can be just as close as her and Drew are at some point in the story? (Answer truthfully. I'd like to know why you chose your answer too if you don't mind explaining)**_

_**A lot of you are also wondering why Norman is so against Pokémon, and that's mainly because he feels Pokémon and anything to do with them are a waste of time. He feels education and being successful in life is more important than entertaining yourself with 'useless' things like Pokémon battles or contests. But don't worry guys, you'll learn more about why Norman's the way he is later in the story, I promise. Also, the person at the end who had the drugs is not a new character. Just someone I added for this particular moment.**_

_**Author's Reply: AnimeFanGirl453, Drew doesn't care how 'rotten' his life may seem compared to other people's, but he's not going to disown or change his personality to please anyone either, and that's what I admire so much about him. ^.^**_

_**Amazon Huntress, Well I'm not like other authors, and I don't think they should've told you that either. You were nice enough to take the time to read and review to their stories, so the least they could do is appreciate it like I do. And trust me, you'll learn more about Norman's life later in the story, then hopefully all of it will make sense. **_

_**Ama Zon, your cursing and ranting is fine, lol. And I'm glad you're really enjoying the story so far. :)**_

_**Singing Wolf, Awe, thank you that means a lot! And people can actually look up to May. The scene between May and Max was one of my favorites, so I'm happy you loved it. And I thought the way I made Drew so nonchalant to Norman's craziness was actually really funny. Norman's acting all insane like he normally does, while Drew's just enjoying his meal, lol.**_

_**Remember, I update EVERYDAY as long as I gain the needed number of REVIEWS I ask for, so the more of you that review, the quicker the chapter comes.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[7+ Reviews for Chapter Eight]**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Note: Thanks to everyone, who took the time to answer some if not all of the questions I asked from last chapter. It was really great to read all of your opinions and thoughts. Even to the people who didn't answer the questions, your reviews were great too. ^.^ Now on with the chapter - Enjoy! Btw, this chapter starts off in Brendan's point of view.**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Eight | Maybe Someday.**_

I searched frantically through Dawn's house, looking left and right for May, but unfortunately to no avail. With all these people here it's no wonder I couldn't find her. This seemed more like a regular, outrageous party you go to on the weekends than a birthday party. After walking away from an intoxicated Dawn, who was too busy bumping and grinding on Paul, I eventually kept looking until I finally spotted Misty playing a drinking game with Ash and a few other teenagers called Flip, Sip, or Strip. And judging by her appearance, I could tell she wasn't going to be able to tell me where May is either, so I didn't even bother trying to ask her. At this point, I had checked every possible place May could be downstairs; I even checked outside in the front and back yards, but she was still nowhere in sight.

Once I came back inside, I maneuvered my way past all of the drunken teenagers until I reached the stairs. I didn't think before that May would even _think_ to go upstairs, but there was still a slight chance she _was_ up there. Even if she was taken up there by somebody else. When I got to the final step, I noticed that the upstairs was just as bad as the downstairs. Picture frames and vases were smashed, furniture was destroyed, screaming and thumping was heard from some of the bedrooms, so you know what that means. There were even teenagers making out and drinking in the hallway. All I wanted to do now was find May, and get the hell up out of here. I started checking all of the rooms I knew didn't have people in there until I came to a cracked door which I figured out was the bathroom.

I slowly peeked my head inside, and glanced down towards the floor to see... May laid out and unconscious on the floor. She was practically exposed only down to her undergarments. I quickly ran over to her, and held her up in my arms. I repeatedly called her name, trying everything I could to wake her up. I tapped the side of her face lightly, I tried shaking her body, and I splashed water onto her face. And luckily, that last thing worked. May squinted her eyes open, and I could see that they were bloodshot red. She was so wasted she could barely lift her head up.

'May! May, are you okay!?' I asked, and immediately feeling stupid. Of course, she's not okay, but it was closest thing I could think of. She attempted to speak, but could pronounce her sentences correctly. I then looked into the toilet, and seen she had vomited which explained why she was in her in the first place. I glared back at May, and seen she had closed her eyes on me again; completely out cold. This night couldn't get any worse. May wasn't used to drinking, so she obviously drunk more than her system could handle. I picked her up into my arms, and carried her out of the bathroom into Dawn's room. I laid her down on the bed, and exhaling deeply. First I needed to find May's clothes, then I needed to get her something to relieve her hangover for when she wakes up again.

I carefully pulled the blanket up over her body, and quietly left the room to look around for her clothes. When I found them, they were scattered all over the floor of a room, so I had to guess that someone must've been trying to seduce her before she ran out of the room to throw up. Anyway, I gathered them all up, took them back into the room, and went downstairs to the kitchen to find May something to drink. I read online that vitamin C is a good thing to have when curing a hangover, so I got some orange juice for her. As I was on my way back, I noticed May's purse on the floor, and was going to bring that with me too. However, I was instantly distracted by the sound of everybody yelling, and running out of the house. I eventually figured out why... the cops had showed up.

I was being pushed and shoved as crazed teenagers ran past me to clear off of the property. The only people that were left now beside me and May were Dawn, Misty, Ash, and Paul. The door was left wide open, so once the police arrived, they just walked right in. The five of us stood awkwardly in the middle of the room with Dawn leaning her head against Paul as he held her up, while the rest of us stood in a straight line as the cops ambled up to us. Aside from me, Paul, Ash and Misty were drunk too, but not like Dawn was. It was evident she had exceeded her limit awhile ago too. It was only two police officers, and I gulped nervously from what they were possibly going to do to us. They gazed back and forth amongst all of us before subsequently deciding to speak.

'We were called over here when we received a complaint from one of the neighbors. Says they witnessed a couple of teenagers fighting outside, while a wild party was present.' One of them stated sternly. Ash, Paul, Misty, and I all glanced at each other before looking back at the officers.

'Whose house does this belong to?' The second officer questioned us.

'Uh, it's her parent's house, sir...' Paul slurred, referring to Dawn, who was out of it just like May.

'And what's wrong with her?' The first one asked us, while the other officer went looking around the house. None of the us decided to speak. That's when the second officer spoke to his partner.

'It's beer bottles all over this floor.' He announced. We were busted now.

'Beer bottles? Ad how old are all of you exactly?' The officer standing in front of us interrogated. Once again, neither of us said anything which was all of the proof he needed.

'Alright, you guys are all under arrest for underage drinking!' He informed us, and soon taking out his handcuffs. By now, I had to do something. May was still upstairs unconscious, so I couldn't get arrested now.

I immediately stepped back. The officer looked at me in confusion and agitation. 'Get the hell over here, now!' The officer demanded fiercely.

I briskly shook my head. 'No, you can't arrest me because I didn't drink!' And I was telling the truth too, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

'Yeah right.'

'It's true! I'll even take the breathalyzer test to prove it!' I exclaimed willingly. Not only was I not going to abandon May like this, I wasn't going to be sent to jail for something I didn't do. The officer still appeared doubtful of my plead, but allowed me to take the test. While he was doing that, the other officer had came down the stairs with a passed out May in his arms along with her clothes. My eyes immediately widened.

'Found this one upstairs passed out in a bed. What should we do with her?' He asked his partner.

He examined May's appearance prior to deciding a necessary solution. 'We'll put her in the ambulance with the other girl. It seems the liquor has taken a huge toll on her as well.' The officer explained, referring to Dawn. Misty, Ash, and Paul were already sitting in the back of the police car by now. The officer doing my test then looked at me again.

'Alright, your blood alcohol content level seems normal, so I won't be taking you into the custody.' He told me, and hearing those words were like a breath of fresh air as I sighed in relief. I then acknowledged the second officer handing May over to paramedics as they carried her into the back of the truck. I ran over to them once the officer had walked away, and towards the cop car where they eventually drove off. I yelled to the man before he closed the doors.

'Sir, can I please ride in there with her!' I inquired desperately.

'Sorry, it's not enough room, but if you have a car you, you can follow us to the hospital.' The paramedic informed me, and that's exactly what I did. I got into my car parked a few blocks away from Dawn's house, and placing May's purse into the passenger seat as I followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital. At this point, I knew Norman had to be wondering where we were since we should've been back by now, but I couldn't think about that right now. May was being rushed to the hospital, and I had no idea how her condition was.

A few hours had gone by now from the time we arrived to the hospital to now as the doctors finished looking over May's condition, and soon coming to talk to me. Dawn had her own hospital room somewhere, but I wasn't concerned about her at all right now. May was my only focus, and that's how it was going to stay.

I abruptly stood up when the doctor approached me. 'Hi, are you the one here for May Maple?' He asked me calmly as he looked at his clipboard.

'Yeah! Yes! So how is she? Is she going to be okay? Can I see her?' I queried frantically and anxiously.

'Yes, May will be fine. We ran some tests, and no serious damage was done. You're allowed to see her, but she's still asleep right now. Also, I would like to speak to a parent or legal guardian in charge if you don't mind. Is there anyway I can get in contact with them?' He doctor asked me. I quickly started to panic.

'Uhm, uh... sure. I'll give them a call, and tell them to stop by.' I lied.

The doctor nodded. 'Okay then, I'll see them when they get here.' And with that, he walked away down the other end of the hall. Once he was out of sight, I walked into May's room, and seen her resting peacefully in her bed. I gently closed the door behind me, and walked over to her bedside. I stared down at her face which felt like an eternity as I continued to watch her sleep; her face looked bloated and red. I couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight, and now the doctor wants to see May's parents. I was still scared for my life of what Norman would do to me if he found out about all of this, so I came up with another idea. I sauntered over to a chair where May's clothes was laying, and extracted her cell phone from out of her pants pocket.

Her phone was about to die, but it was still enough battery left to make a phone call. I scrolled through her contact list until I found Drew's number. Drew and I weren't the best of friends, but he was the only person I had left, who could hopefully save me from this horrible nightmare since he wasn't at the party tonight. I took a deep breath before dialing his number, and hearing it ring and ring and ring until it finally went to his voicemail. When that didn't work, I sent him a text message. Drew was literally my last hope. If he didn't come through, then I was screwed.

I sat with a dazed expression as I continuously tapped my pencil with one hand, and resting my head in the other. It was a Saturday night, and I was stuck here babysitting, but with May and Brendan the only thing on my mind. I knew today was May's birthday, and all I kept wondering was whether or not her and Brendan hung out together. I know if they did, all Brendan probably did was show off how rich he is like he does for all the girls he meets which is why I can't stand that douche now. Brendan and I go to the same school, and my life's been nothing but hell because of it. Brendan knows my family isn't rich, and that I don't have the most fabulous lifestyle, and he uses that against me every time.

He knows it bothers me when people talk about my living conditions, and continues to tease me about it all the time whenever he gets the chance or is bored, so feels the need to mess with me. I can't even get myself a decent girlfriend with him around because he's always there to steal them away from me, and make me look bad because he has money and I don't. And now he's doing the same thing with May. I mean, May and I are only friends, but I still hate how he manages to swoop in and take her away from me too. If having money does that to some people, then I rather do without it. I was so deep in thought about the situation that I didn't even hear when my name was being called.

'Drew, are you even listening to me?' Hilda asked me in frustration. Hilda is my tutor, so I decided to ask her to come over with the intentions of not being alone. My mom said, Ash and Paul couldn't come over - She said nothing about Hilda. Besides, even if she had said yes, they went to a party Dawn was having, so they wouldn't have came anyway. Nonetheless, when it comes to not being rich, Hilda and I can relate. She doesn't go to the same school May goes to, but she lives in my neighborhood, so that's how we know each other. My mom was nagging to me one day about how I needed a tutor since some subjects I'm kind of 'slacking in', and that's when I found Hilda. We've been friends for awhile, but that's all we are.

'What? No, sorry Hilda I wasn't listening. Tell me what you said again.' I retorted.

Hilda looked at me skeptically. 'Is there something bothering you, Drew? You seem kind of off.'

'Maybe it's because you got me studying on a Saturday night.' I groaned in frustration.

'Hey, you're the one, who asked me to come over, and I _am_ your tutor after all. That's what tutors do. Did you even remember you have a Science test on Monday?' She asked me with a cocked eyebrow.

'Uh... no.' I replied awkwardly. 'But who cares? You may be my tutor, but you're my friend first, and I really asked you to come over to hang out. Not to study.' I explained.

'Hang out? And what is it you had in mind that we do, anyway?' Hilda asked me as I smirked slyly.

'I'm glad you asked!' I responded, and grabbing Hilda's wrist as I pulled her into the kitchen. We were going to make ice cream sundaes because if you hadn't figured it out by now, I love ice cream. While we were in the midst of adding the flavors and toppings to our sundaes, I looked at Hilda's to see how simple, boring, and empty her bowl was. She hardly had anything in there.

'Hilda, you can't be serious. That can't be all of the ice cream you're eating.' I complained.

'Well _excuse me_ for not being an ice cream induced freak like you are.' Hilda joked as I chuckled. I then picked up the whipped cream, and sprayed a mountain size amount of it onto her ice cream. I heard Hilda gasp as she seen what I did, and then grabbing the second whipped cream can, and spraying it in my face.

'Whoops.' She said sarcastically with a canny smirk as she laughed at me. When I wiped off my face, I sprayed some whipped cream into her mouth, while she sprayed some into mine. The sounds of her giggles were like music to my ears because with the mood I've been in lately, I needed something or _someone_ to get me in a better mood, and relieve my stress. Hilda was a girl, who was all about school, so it was rare to see her laughing and joking around the way she is now.

After our little whipped cream fun and then cleaning up the kitchen, we went back into the living room to eat. I had finished my ice cream long before Hilda, so I took the time to feed Cecelia a bottle, while I held her in my arms. As I did that, I heard my cell phone ring indicating I was getting a call. I scanned the caller ID, and seen it was May calling me... again. So I simply let the phone ring. Hilda asked if I was going to answer it, and I simply said no. I know I've been ignoring May since yesterday, but is wasn't because I was mad at her. I just wasn't ready to talk to her, yet after everything her father said to me. I wasn't in the right mindset, so I thought avoiding May was the only option.

But a few minutes later, and I received a text from her too. I wasn't going to reply back, not now anyway, but I still read it. I've been reading all of May's messages and listening to her voicemails; I just haven't been responded to any of them. When I opened the message, I quickly became confused, yet alarmed from what I read.

'May got drunk, and now she's in the hospital! You have to help me, so her dad won't find out! -Brendan.'

I read the message over at least fifteen times. May must've gotten drunk at some party, and now Brendan was using her phone to call me. However, I didn't know what to do. I didn't see May all day today, so it's not like she was my responsibility to look over. Nonetheless, she was still my friend whether her father wanted us together or not. I literally felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Hilda noticed my dismay, and decided to question me.

'Drew, what's wrong? ...Is it May again?' She asked me concerned. Hilda knows about May and I's friendship, so she knows how much I care about her.

'Uh, yeah... She's in the hospital.' I said still in disbelief.

'The hospital? Well, is she okay?' Hilda wondered worriedly. For a couple seconds I didn't speak. I just sat there silently as I thought to myself. There was only thing I could do, and if Norman were to find out, Brendan was going to have to deal with it which would be fine be me. Then he'll be able to see Brendan's just as 'bad an influence' on May as I am. At least, so he claims.

I stood up from the couch, and handing Cecelia over to Hilda. 'I'm going to the hospital to see May! Can you please stay here, and watch Cece until I get back!?'

'Don't worry, Drew. We'll be right here waiting for you when you get back, so go see how May is.' Hilda encouraged, and that's exactly what I did. May and I don't actually live in the same neighborhood, but her house still isn't too far away from mine, so I ran all the way there. With Brendan being more concerned about what Norman will probably do to him, he's not even thinking about May and how her parents would feel to know she's in the hospital. I had to tell them. They had the right to know.

When I got there, I was so out of breath I felt like I was about to collapse. Once I stopped panting, I calmly rung the doorbell, and prepared myself to face Norman since seeing him yesterday, and him forbidding May to speak to me. A few seconds later, and Caroline answered the door. She appeared surprised to see me, but I was happy to be seeing her than her husband.

'Drew? What are you doing-'

'May's in the hospital!' I bellowed instantly.

Caroline's eyes immediately widened from the unexpected news. 'What!? Well, how do you know!? What happened!? Is she okay!?'

'I don't know everything that happened since I wasn't with her tonight, but we need to go see her at the hospital right now!' I told her, and she asked no more questions. She grabbed her purse and her keys, and got inside of her car parked in the driveway, allowing me to come with her. On our way to the hospital, she told me Norman was asleep, and she decided not to wake him. With his bad temper, he'd end up getting kicked out of the building, anyway. She hoped she could just bring May back home tonight before he wakes up, and never find out.

Now arriving to the hospital and getting May's room number, Caroline and I took the elevator up to her floor, and once we were close to her door, I could see Brendan sitting out in the hallway. Just the sight of him brought a bad feeling to my stomach. Caroline quickly went inside after speaking to the doctor, but I walked up to Brendan first before going to see May. He abruptly stood up when he saw me.

'Drew! You got my message. Did Norman come with you?' He asked timidly. I then roughly grabbed around the collar of his shirt, and smashed his body against the wall.

'How could you let this happen!? How could you possibly get May sent to the hospital!?' I exclaimed in rage.

'Yo man, chill! First off, I didn't _let_ this happen! It was all her friends' fault! Dawn and Misty were the ones, who pressured her into drinking! I was only trying to stop her!'

'_Drinking_? What the hell was May doing around alcohol, anyway!?' I yelled at him.

'Dawn and Misty were throwing her party, and I took her! When we got there, they were trying to give her a shot, but I could tell May didn't want to drink, so I told them not to give it to her. They then made it like _I_ was the bad guy, and took May away from me! I was only trying to protect her!' Brendan pleaded defensively, and still struggling to get out of my grip.

'_Protect her_? You got her sent to the hospital, and only a day after meeting her! What kind of protecting is that!?'

'Listen Drew, you weren't there, so you don't know what the hell happened! I was trying to take care of May when the cops showed up, and arrested Misty, Ash, and Paul, and took May and Dawn to the hospital' Brendan argued, and he was making me more angry by the second. I wanted to hit him so badly, but I didn't. Instead I let go of my hold on his shirt, and stared at him with nothing but hatred.

I shook my head shamefully. 'You are such a dumbass.' I gritted through my teeth.

'How the hell am I dumbass, Drew!? Tell me! Tell me how!' He asked offensively.

I took a deep breath before choosing to speak to calm myself down. '...Let me ask you this, how much did May want to go to this party? Did she even want to go at all?' Brendan immediately got quiet.

'Well uhm, she didn't actually want to go at all at first, but I talked her into it... It was her birthday for crying out loud! I thought it be a good idea if she had some fun at her own party!'

'_Fun_? And how'd that work out for you?' I asked him sneeringly. He rolled his eyes.

'This is why your dumbass. If you hadn't pressured May into going to the party when she didn't want to go in the first place, she wouldn't have been pressured to drink, and she wouldn't be lying up in a hospital bed right now!' I hollered in aggravation. I was seriously losing my patience with Brendan, so I didn't even stick around to here the rest of his bullshit.

'...I'm going in the room to see May, but for you? I think it's time you leave. I'm sure May isn't gonna want to see your face when she wakes up because I sure as hell don't want to see it right now myself. Why don't you make yourself useful, and go see if Dawn's okay.' Brendan stared at me with a pitiful expression before finally stomping away down the hallway. I didn't think he'd listen to me so easily, but lucky for all of us he did. He being gone will benefit all of us, and I once had calmed myself down again, I hesitantly entered May's room. I seen Caroline sitting in a chair by her bedside, and stroking her cheek. When she heard me come in, she smiled faintly as I walked over.

'How is she?' I asked, hearing my voice crack probably from all of the yelling.

'She's gonna be just fine. Doctor said all she needs is plenty of rest and fluids, and she'll be back to her old self in no time.'

'That's good. She had me worried.' I admitted. I could sense Caroline still staring at me for awhile until she finally spoke.

'You know Drew, May's lucky to have someone like you in her life, who cares so much about her. Her father may not have seen it last night, but you're a great guy for May, and I'm sure he'll realize that eventually.' I listened closely to Caroline's words as I looked at her, and then back at May. That's when Caroline informed me she was going to find the doctor, and left me alone in the room. I sat down in the seat she was once sitting in, and softly held May's hand in mine as I spoke to her.

'I'm really glad you're gonna be okay, May. I know I've been ignoring all of your calls and texts, but trust me, I'm done with avoiding you. All I want now is to hear your voice again, and get back to the way things were between us. And I hope your mother's right about your dad eventually growing to like me because I do care a lot about you, and I wouldn't want anything more than for him to accept me for who I am. You probably can't hear a word I'm saying to you right now, but I don't mind pretending you can. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I know I've been saying it a lot lately, but if you can forgive me every time, then you're obviously worth it. Uhm, I don't really know what else to say, so I'm gonna shut up now, and let you rest.' I stated, and soon feeling a squeeze to my hand. I was shocked but relieved.

May was going to be okay, and she had heard every word I said...

* * *

_**So I feel like I kind of struggled with this chapter too, but hopefully you guys liked it anyway. I'm not really aware of what cops do when they crash a party, but I did try to do my research, so everything I had happen was what I learned from searching it up, and making May go to the hospital - that really happens to people in real life, so I added it here too since I felt it was necessary. I needed certain things to play out the way they did for certain things to happen, and what's still to come. I mean, it is my story, so even if there is something I write that wouldn't really happen in real life, it's whatever. It's just a story - something to read for your pleasure and entertainment.**_

_**I also see a lot of you don't like Brendan, and with everything that went down between him and Drew, I feel you guys probably hate him even more, lol. **__**Also, I don't think Hilda will be important to the story. Just somebody I added for the moment.**_

_**But let me ask you guys this, how many of you are actually enjoying this story so far? Be honest. Do you think it's interesting... different... exciting... original... do you like the plot and the situation? I'm only asking because one of the reviews I received yesterday just had me thinking about it, is all. I take the time out my day to write a long chapter for you guys, and hopefully update every single day, but I don't want to do that if some of you don't appreciate it. And I'm not referring to everyone. **_

_**Just a favor for anyone who reads the story now or in the future, if you don't like the story or soon begin to lose interest, I'd rather you just stop reading than to give me negative feedback. **_

_**Also I don't know who wrote this, but for anybody reading this story never give me a review like this one, "I would like you to add an exciting scene of May in an urgent event for some help and Brendan betrays Norman and May. Then, Drew helps WITH Pokemon and shows Norman how MOST POKEMON are. But, he still doesn't trust May or Drew completely. He's still grateful and let's May have more Pokemon in her life." **_

_**I don't like reviews where it basically seems like you're telling me what to write. Even if it's a good idea, I won't write it because one: you'll already know what happens, two: it has nothing to do with the plot, and three: I want the story to be exciting and interesting. How many of you would rather read a story that's unpredictable and dramatic where you're like 'Whoa, didn't see that coming!' than a story where everything is boring and cliché? **_

_**Overall, all I ask is if you're going to review, please try to make it about the chapter or the characters. Otherwise, don't say anything at all.**_

_**Author's Reply: Singing Wolf, yes the person selling drugs was Silver, but he's irrelevant to the story, so...**_

_**Remember, I update EVERYDAY as long as I gain the needed number of REVIEWS I ask for, so the more of you that review, the quicker the chapter comes.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[7+ Reviews for Chapter Nine]**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Note: So I didn't get the number of reviews I asked for in order to post the next chapter, but I'm going to give you guys Chapter Nine, anyway because I'm only one number off, and I know there's a lot of you, who love the story, and couldn't wait for the next chapter, so here you go. **_

_**Btw, Drew may have been at the hospital with May, but he eventually left before she could see him since her mother was getting ready to take her back home. So when you read May's point of view, hopefully everything she says about not seeing Drew will make sense to you now that I explained it. **_

_**And lastly, this chapter starts off in Brendan's point of view. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Nine | Visitations & Explanations.**_

I sat up in my bedroom with so much on my mind. I laid on my bed with my hands behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling, and wishing I was with May right now. After the argument Drew and I had at the hospital yesterday, I never got the chance to see her one last time in order to be sure she was okay. I might've despised Drew with everything I had in me, but the things he said to me yesterday actually made sense. I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. If I hadn't been so focused on trying to get May to that party, none of this would've happened. We could've easily just spent the entire day together just getting to know each other, and having a good time, but I had to ruin it by taking her to a wild and chaotic teenage party. I mean, she told me the party was for her, so it only made sense that she go, but it's not like the party was her idea in the first place.

That party was nothing but intoxicated and hormonal teenagers there to take advantage of somebody else's home, while the owners were away. I bet none of those people even knew who May was, and only showed up to get wasted and destroy the place. It seems to me Dawn threw the party in honor of May's birthday, but also making it appear just like a regular party you go to on Friday nights just in case she didn't show up. If there was one thing I regret, it's allowing it to escalate as far as it did. May should've never gone to that party, and now she has to suffer for it because of me. I don't know whether her dad knows about it or not, yet but it's only a matter of time until he does, and he rips my neck off; _also_ forbidding me to ever see May again just like he did with Drew.

If anything, that's the thing that bothers me the most. Drew blew his chances of being able to be with May, so her father brought me along hoping I would be a better candidate for the job, but I most likely damaged my chances too. I know May and I have basically just met, but that didn't stop the obvious reasons of me wanting to be with her. I wanted us to meet, and for her put me on her good side until that day she would finally agree to being in an intimate relationship with me, but if I still ever wanted that fantasy to happen, I was seriously going to have to do whatever it took to earn May's trust back. However, with everything she's recently been through, I'm certain she wants some space and time to herself, so I'll give her just that before attempting to make my move. I began smiling to myself from just thinking about what my life would be like if I was actually fortunate enough to call her my 'girlfriend'.

I would hold her in my arms anytime she wanted to cuddle, or even when she needed a shoulder to cry on. I would buy her anything her little heart desired, and I would never dishonor her trust by cheating or abusing her - physically nor emotionally. I know this may seem like a tall order for a girl I just met, but May wasn't like other girls. She had a certain finesse and intricate personality that makes you want to learn more about her. She's mysterious yet subtle at the same time, and very independent. I've gathered up all of that information about her, and just from a few days of knowing her. May was literally something special, and I would do anything to be in her life even if it were only as a friend which hopefully that wouldn't turn out to be a permanent case, but I guess being friends is better than nothing at all. As I continued to think about May some more, I could soon hear my bedroom door beginning to open. I shifted my head to the right, and seen my father walk in.

While he maneuvered his way to my bedside, I noticed his expression seemed uneasy and disappointing, so I wondered what had got him so flustered all of a sudden. I sat up in my bed to give him my attention as he sat down, and sighing deeply. I didn't know what the matter was, but it was evident that the news I would briefly be receiving was not going to be good.

I furrowed my eyebrows in perplexity as I spoke. 'Uh, what's the matter dad?' I questioned him curiously.

He proceeded to look away from me for a more seconds prior to giving me eye contact, and telling me what was wrong. '...I've got some bad news, Brendan.' My dad stated to me. I cocked an eyebrow suspiciously, waiting for him to continue.

'...So uhm, it turns out that we're in debt.' My father said to me. I looked at him in bewilderment still not quite understanding the situation.

'Wait, what do you mean, we're in debt? You mean, we don't have any money?' I inquired with my father slowly nodding his head, yes.

'Apparently, there's a loan for millions and millions of dollars that I can't afford to pay back, so the person I owe money to has applied to get me bankrupt.' My father explained. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I never thought that the day would come when my family would be broke. It seems like ever since my mom passed from that serious and tragic car accident she was in just a few years back, nothing has ever been going quite smoothly for my dad.

'Yeah, that also means I have to get rid of the house, my car along with other wildly and valuable possessions, and I'm now no longer working.' He informed me shamefully. This couldn't be happening.

'Well, if you have to get rid of the house, where will we go?' I asked him anxiously. I've been living in Petalburg City my entire life, so there was no way I was willingly going to leave even though I wouldn't have much of a choice.

'Don't worry, son. For right now, Norman's allowing us to stay at his house for a little while until we're somewhat back on our feet. He _is_ one of my best friends especially considering we work in the same building, or at least used to, anyway. And he lives right here in town, so that's great too.' My father told me. Wait, did he say Norman's house? Where May lives? _Oh, this just keeps getting better and better_. I thought to myself sarcastically. I wasn't planning on facing May for awhile now, and if her dad _is_ to find out about the party, I'll be living right there in his house where he can kill me for hurting his daughter.

'He has plenty of bedrooms and space for the both of us, and I'm sure being around May will be enjoyable for you too.' My father winked, while nudging my arm. I smiled awkwardly at him. If only that were the case.

'And I'm sure with you living there, you can even be like a big brother to Norman's son, Max. Trust me, I have a feeling you're going to like this temporary living arrangement very much, and remember this is only until I can earn enough money to purchase us another place to stay even if it's just an apartment rather than a large mansion like the one you're used to.' My father retorted, and patting me on the back before getting ready to exit my room.

'Alright, I want you start packing because we'll be out of here today.' My dad announced, and soon exiting my room. I sighed out in frustration, and covering my face with my hands as I leaned over on my knees. Why, why me?

* * *

I woke up to the worse feeling I've ever experienced in my life. My body felt weak and frail, and I had an outrageous headache like never before. I could hardly keep my eyes open, and I was feeling sick to my stomach. I didn't even know what day it was, or most of anything that recently happened to me. My room was dimly lit since the curtains were closed, and I slowly glanced over to my nightstand to see a glass of water sitting there. My arm trembled tremendously as I tried to grab a hold of it, and gradually beginning to sit up once I did, so I could drink it.

However, as I soon as I sat up, I felt the urge to lay back down. With my headache being as severe as it was, I found myself becoming dizzy and light headed. After a few more sips of water, I crashed my head back down onto the pillow, and stiffly laying in bed. With my memory on the fritz, I had no idea what to think. I wanted answers, and the most important question I had was how I ended up this way. My eyes were closed shut as I laid irritably in bed when I eventually heard my bedroom door opening, and immediately hearing the soothing tone of my mother's voice. I listened closely to her footsteps as she ambled up to my bed, and sitting down on the side of it.

I felt her hand on my forehead as she lightly touched it. I slowly moved my head in order to look at her, and squinted my eyes open. She smiled faintly at me, and eventually beginning to speak. 'It's nice to see you're awake... How do you feel?'

I coughed before responding. '...I feel like I'm on my death bed right now.'

'Oh, honey don't say that. You're just not feeling completely up to speed, yet but the feeling will pass.'

'Mom, I don't even remember how I got like this.' I told her, and she awkwardly looked away.

I furrowed my eyebrows incredulously. 'Do you know what happened to me, mom? How long have I been asleep?'

'No unfortunately, May I don't know how you got like this. All I know is you got drunk, and was taken to the hospital. And you haven't been asleep for that long because it's only Sunday.' She explained to me. My eyes instantly widened as I struggled to sit up.

'D-Drunk? You mean to tell me I had alcohol, and got wasted!' I exclaimed in disbelief. My mother quickly shushed me.

'Shh, I would be quiet if I were you unless you want your father to find out. He's still oblivious to the whole thing, and hopefully it stays that way.' My mother warned me. He was? Well, thanks God for that.

'Alright, but I still don't understand how I got drunk in the first place. My memories a little foggy at the moment...'

'You have to remember _something_ that happened to you, May up until the time you started drinking.' My mother told me. I tried to think back to yesterday's events, but all I remember is being with Brendan last. Everything else after that is still a big blur to me.

'I remember being with Brendan yesterday, but that's it.' I stated in frustration.

'Well then, the next time you see Brendan, ask him what happened to you.' My mom said, and walking back towards the door.

'I'll be back to check up on you later.' And with that, she left out, closing the door behind her. If Brendan was really the only person, who could tell me what happened last night, then he better be ready to answer some questions because he has a lot of explaining to do. Nonetheless, after I was left alone in my room, I found myself going back to sleep, and not waking up for several more hours. When I awoken, I felt a lot more refreshed than I had just hours before, and examined the time on the digital clock in my room to see it was already six o'clock. It was that late? No wonder I was so hungry.

I got out of bed, and going downstairs to the kitchen to see my mom carrying a tray in her hands. She briskly halted in her tracks once she noticed me, and glared at me in surprise. 'May, you're up. I was just about to bring you some soup to eat. Soothing foods like soup to eat will help to replenish you, and I know you have to be starving by now.'

'Thanks, mom.' I uttered gratefully, and carefully taking the tray out of her hands. I then became curious as to the whereabouts of my dad, so decided to question her about where he was.

'Hey mom, where's dad.?'

'He went out to do some grocery shopping, and took Max along with him. They should be back soon.' She informed me. I nodded my head in understanding, and soon taking my food up to my room. Once I settled on my bed with the T.V. on, I was just about to start eating until a sound coming from my cell phone disturbed me. I groaned out in annoyance, and checking it to see I had a text message... from Drew. He's been ignoring me ever since that night he came over for dinner, so I was more than excited to see he was finally speaking to me again. I quickly opened his message to read what it said.

'Hey May, I wanted to make sure you were okay... How are you?' I furrowed my eyebrows in bewilderment. I may not have remembered everything that happened to me yesterday, but I know for a fact that I didn't see Drew, so how did he know I wasn't feeling well? Regardless, I replied back to his message right away with him responding back in a few minutes flat.

'I'm a lot better, thanks.'

'That's great because I actually wanted to come see you, so I could give you something, but only if this isn't a bad time.'

Give me something? I know I haven't been in the best condition lately, but Drew shouldn't feel the need to have to give me anything because of it.

'Uhm, I guess it's okay. My dad isn't here, so if I were you I'd, come over now.'

'Got'cha, I'm on my way!' Drew's last message said before our conversation had ceased. I hadn't the slightest clue why or what Drew wanted to give me, but I didn't care. I was just elated he was finally talking to me again. If you ask me, just being able to see him is all I would really want. I feel like it's been months since we last seen each other when it's only been a couple days. I kind of didn't want to admit it, but I feel like him avoiding me like he did actually got me feeling... differently about him; like the way I'm starting to feel about him is going way beyond friendship, and you know what... I'm okay with that.

As I anticipated his arrival, I sat in my bed eating my soup, and about seven minutes later, acknowledging my bedroom door beginning to open. That's when the sight of Drew peeking his head through the opening of the door, and the attractive smirk on his face when his eyes caught sight of me felt like a million Butterfree dancing around in my stomach. I wanted to scream out in joy, and run over to him, so I could give him the biggest hug ever considering I was so happy to see him, but I tried to keep calm. I still wasn't feeling quite up to par, and the last thing I wanted to do was freak Drew out. He had gently closed the door behind him, while holding something behind his back, and casually walking over to me.

I tried containing my excitement, but I literally felt like I was going to explode as soon as I got the chance to hear his voice. He was basically torturing me in the best way possible. 'Well, hello there Mrs. Seventeen-Year-Old. You're looking well.'

I buoyantly rolled my eyes trying my hardest not to blush. I don't know how he does it, but making me blush is almost like a profession of his. He then sat down on my bed as he intensely stared at my face. He kind of had me nervous with the way he was looking at me, but his profound glare soon turned into a look of... admiration almost. At least, I sure hope that's what it was. Then he finally spoke again.

'You know I feel really bad, right?' He asked me remorsefully.

I furrowed my eyebrows from his confession. 'Why, what for?'

'Because I've been ignoring you, and all because of something your _dad_ said. I know what went down that night was none of your fault, and that you were only trying to defend for me, but hearing your dad refer to me as the 'lower rank society' really struck a nerve inside of me.' Drew told me mournfully. I know what my dad said that night was extremely insulting, and I don't blame Drew for being upset, but I do wish things would've turned out differently than how they had.

'Regardless, I want you to know that I was never mad at you. I just needed some time to calm my emotions, and now I'm okay. And to prove how sorry I am, I wanted to give you this...' His voice trailed off as he handed me a small, purple velvet box that he was hiding behind his back. I looked at the box, and then back at Drew as he gently nodded his head. I then hesitantly removed the box from his hand, and opening it up to see a necklace inside.

I stated at it in awe as I delicately held it between my fingers, and allowing the gleam from the sun that shined through the blinds once I opened my curtains to shine over it. It was the shape of a puzzle piece, and having half a quote engraved onto it. I held it lightly in the center of my palm as I read it.

'A true relationship is two imperfect people...' And that's all it said. I then looked back at Drew.

'I absolutely love your gift Drew, but what does the rest of the quote say?' I queried, but he didn't respond. He just simply took something out of his pocket, and handed it to me. It was the other half to my puzzle piece. I connected the two pieces together, and read the quote over again.

'A true relationship is two imperfect people... refusing to give up on each other.' Is what the entire quote said, and I quickly felt my stomach tying up in knots as I started to blush once again.

'Oh Drew, this is beautiful... I love it so much!' I bellowed happily, and reading the quote over and over again.

Drew scratched the back of his bashfully. 'Yeah, it's my way of saying sorry, and also a late birthday present for you. You didn't tell me about your birthday sooner, so I found out from Ash and Paul at the last minute, but because of that I couldn't get the money right away to buy you a gift to give to you the day _of_ your birthday, but hopefully you don't mind. I made your half into a necklace, and my half into a key chain. I honestly think things like this are corny, but I thought the quote symbolized us a lot, so I got it anyway.'

'And I love it very much. I'll wear my half of it everyday. Would you mind... putting it on for me?' I asked him, while giving him his half of the puzzle back. I noticed his eyes slightly enlarge with his mouth agape, and nervously nodding his head as he took his key chain back. I then gave him my necklace to put around my neck, and standing up off of the bed to give him a better angle and more space. I could've easily put the necklace on myself... but I felt this way would be _much_ better.

* * *

I seriously thought I was having a heart attack with my heart beating as rapidly as it was. I don't know why, but May had me nervous as ever just to put a necklace on her. Something told me why too, but I didn't want to believe it. So instead I took the necklace from her, stood behind her, and took a deep breath as I softly placed it around her neck. I watched as she stared down at the necklace in her hand, and smiling blissfully. Even after I finished, my heart wouldn't stop racing. Was my mom right all along? No, she couldn't be. I mean, my mom is right about a lot of things, but she has to be wrong about this.

May turned around to face me, and I stared deeply into her sapphire colored eyes. The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. There was just no way a girl like May could be in love with a guy like me. I mean, if you ask me, I'm not even worthy to be in a relationship with her, anyway. She's rich, I'm not; She's beautiful, I'm average. May was so out of my league, that even a first grader would be able to see how incompatible we are. Besides, I'm just fine being friends with her, and nothing more. At least, I'm pretty sure I am?

May and I weren't even speaking to each other either. As I continued to look at her, I could tell that it was almost as if there was something else she wanted from me, and I had a good feeling I knew what it was. At this point, my mind was telling me one thing, while my heart was telling me another. That sounds so sappy, but there was no other way to describe it. I've never been so confused by a girl before a day in my life, and I didn't know how to feel, _or_ what to think. If this is what being in love was all about, then I don't think I'm ready. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about May, but as long as she doesn't like me as more than in a friend relationship kind of way, then I won't feel pressured to do something I'm possibly not ready for.

I blinked my eyes a few times, and soon taking a step back from May. She looked at me kind of confused but also disappointed dare I say it, but I just couldn't right now - I just couldn't, and I had to make her understand that.

I spoke to her troublesomely. 'Uh, uhm... you look- I mean, that necklace- I mean... your necklace looks nice on you.'

She looked down at it again. 'Oh yeah... it does. Thanks.' May replied humbly. Now I felt like a jerk for ruining her mood a few seconds after lifting it. That has to be a new record. The room then fell silent as neither of us knew what to say now or _at all_ for that matter. Fortunately though, we were saved from the awkward silence by someone knocking on the door. May casually went to go see, who it was, and as soon as she did, I quickly wished that she hadn't. The person standing in the doorway first looked at May, but soon glancing behind her into the room to see me. He briefly walked past her, and staring at me with the same expression I was staring at him with.

'What the heck is _he_ doing here!?' Brendan and I yelled simultaneously, while pointing at each other. I swear, I couldn't get one moment alone with May without him randomly showing up.

'What do you mean, what am I doing here? I should be the one asking you _that_! You would think after what you caused May yesterday, you'd stay away from her!' I said to Brendan with nothing, but rage and annoyance evidently in my voice.

'I don't think it's any of your business why I'm here, and by the way, it wasn't my decision to come here in the first place.' Brendan retorted vaguely. That's when May had walked up to him.

'Drew's right though, Brendan. There has to be a reason why you're here, so you might as well say why now.'

Brendan looked at May, and then back at me as he sighed. '...Can I talk to you about this in private, May?' He asked hopefully and desperately.

'Nope, I'm sure whatever is you have to say, you can say it in front of the both of us.' May replied sternly, and crossing her arms.

Brendan looked at her in shame, and then lowering his head down in embarrassment as he soon sighed again. '...I live here now.' He mumbled lowly, but even so, I heard him loud and clear, and I could tell May did too as she looked at him in shock.

'Wait, what? What do you mean, you live here now?' She interrogated him.

'My dad lost all his money, so now we have nowhere to go Your dad offer to let us live here temporarily, and my dad and I just got here. I thought I'd come up here to see you also figuring you knew about this already, and most importantly that _he_ wasn't going to be here.' Brendan gritted through his teeth, referring to me. Wow, so big shot Brendan is broke now just like me? This seemed too good to be true. May's face softened as she looked at me, and then back at Brendan as she uncrossed her arms.

'Oh well... I'm sorry, Brendan. I didn't know you-' May began speaking sympathetically until Brendan interrupted her.

'You don't have to apologize, May. I know you were just hostile because you're mad at me right now, but you have to understand I did _not_ mean to put you in the hospital.' Brendan uttered benevolently.

'Oh, yeah? Then who did?' May inquired sneeringly. I could tell she wasn't believing Brendan's word for a second.

'Nobody tried to put you in the hospital, May! We went to the party Dawn was throwing for you, and you got belligerently drunk! You drank too much liquor than your system could handle, and that's why you were sent to the hospital! And I stayed by you the entire time, making sure you'd be okay until _he_ showed up being all forceful and unnecessary. You have to believe me, May I didn't mean to put you in the condition you were in, but you're fine now, and that's what's really important, right?' Brendan mentioned, but May didn't say anything.

It seemed to me she was taking in all of the information she just received, but even so, I could tell she believed ever word Brendan said.

She then asked him, 'Are you sure that's exactly what happened?'

'May, what reason do I have to lie to you?' Brendan said, and I seriously felt like punching him in the center of his throat. He was slowly but surely gaining May's trust back, and I couldn't stand the sight of it.

May then walked closer to him, so she was standing directly in front of him just like we were right before he showed up. I knew she was getting ready to say something, but the sudden sound of someone knocking on the door, and her dad's boisterous voice sounded off from the hallway. I quickly started to panic. If Norman had seen me here after he strictly forbidden May to see me, I wouldn't live to see another day. Brendan's annoying ass was even living here now, and even _he_ started to panic.

'May, are you in there because I want to have a serious talk with you!' Norman yelled from the outside. Brendan and I were frantically running around the room with no possible escape route out of here. Was this really happening right now?

'Uh, okay dad just a second!' She yelled to her dad still standing outside the door. She then looked back at the both of us.

'Go hide in the closet, and don't say _anything_!' May promptly exclaimed in a whisper. With no further questions asked, Brendan and I scurried to May's massive walk-in closet, and hid quietly inside; praying Norman wouldn't find us, and tear our skin off. Something told me he was capable of doing that. We soon then heard Norman come in, and he immediately got right to the point; abruptly bombarding May with questions.

'Good, I'm glad you're awake and feeling okay because I've been wanting to discuss with you about something _very interesting_ that I found last night...' Norman's menacing voice trailed off as Brendan and I listened closely to his next words.

'Uh, what... what is it dad?' May stuttered timidly.

'Explain to me why I found _these drugs_ inside of your purse yesterday!?' Norman shouted out in rage.

Drugs? In May's purse? Now that didn't make sense at all, and when I looked to my right to witness Brendan's reaction, his expression obviously told me he knew something I didn't.

I may not have been able to see May's face, but I knew she had to be confused and scared for her life right now, and there was no doubt in my mind Brendan had something to do it.

* * *

_**I felt like this chapter sucked. Not saying everything that happened was boring or anything, but I feel like I could've written it a lot better than I did, but hopefully you all still liked it. Also, I did research information about everything I wrote about Brendan's father going bankrupt, so they're all facts. That can really happen to a person just like the way I explained it, so I hope it all made sense. (And if there is some false information, just forget about it) I mainly had this happen too because I thought it'd be interesting to make Brendan go broke, and temporarily going to live with May, so tell me what you think.**_

_**There was also the scene between May and Drew, and them finally beginning to admit their feelings for each other. Well, sort of, lol. Drew's still a little confused and in denial about his feelings for May, and we still have Brendan caught in the middle, so I wonder how things will play out.**_

_**Then there's the last scene with Norman and May. To explain, when May came home from the hospital, and was taken upstairs to her room to rest, Caroline just decided to tell Norman that she got 'sick'; it's as simply as that. But after May was put to bed, Norman found her purse, and quickly noticing some of the drugs from the party stashed inside. (He doesn't know anything about the party, her getting drunk, or anything like that - just the drugs) He would've questioned May right away about it, but with her still asleep and not feeling good, he decided to wait until she was well enough to talk. And then we have Drew, who believes Brendan has something to do with the drugs being inside of her purse in the first place. What do you guys think?**_

_**Like I said before, I don't know how I feel about this chapter, but hopefully everything made sense and was still interesting.**_

_**Author's Reply: Amazon Huntress, Misty and Dawn will be fine along with Ash and Paul. They're only minor characters, so I'm not going all into depth or getting serious about what happened to them after the party. But I will let y'all know about them eventually.**_

_**Remember, I update EVERYDAY as long as I gain the needed number of REVIEWS I ask for, so the more of you that review, the quicker the chapter comes.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[7+ Reviews for Chapter Ten]**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Note: So here's Chapter Ten, and hopefully you all like it because that was my only focus while writing it - making sure you all would love it, so enjoy! Btw, May does a lot of cursing in this chapter... just a heads up.**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Ten | The Trusting Game.**_

I could literally feel my heart pounding inside of my chest. Beads of sweat were dripping down my face as I acknowledged the evil and outraged expression masking over my father's face. This was one those moments where I didn't know how to defend myself considering I hadn't the foggiest idea how drugs managed to get inside of my purse. I didn't even realize it until now when he questioned me about it. Nonetheless, I didn't want to end up saying the wrong thing since I remembered Drew and Brendan were still hiding in the closet, and allowing them to witness my blood curdling screams, while my father harshly yelled and beat on me was not apart of the agenda. I gulped as I proceeded to look at my dad with nothing but fear as he continued to hold up the bag of Cocaine in his fist. I seriously needed an angel right now; someone to get me out of this mess before it was too late.

With my father's irrational and twisted mind, I could only imagine the assumptions being thought of in his head for why he felt I had the drugs in the first place. He probably thought I was using them - possibly addicted, he probably thinks I sell them, or he probably even thinks I'm working with someone, who threatened me to hold the drugs for them, and if I didn't, he'd either rape me or kill me... maybe even both. My father was so quit to jump to conclusions, and he hated being wrong especially in a situation such as this one, so I felt as though no matter how much I explained or pleaded, he wouldn't believe me for a second even if his life depended on it. Needless to say, I wasn't making the predicament any better for myself. After a few minutes of me not saying anything, my father took a step closer; so close, that even if I attempted to run... he'd catch me.

Now with him standing as close as he was, I could vividly see the deadly and menacingly look in his eyes, while most likely thinking of ways how he could hurt and punishment me for something I was completely oblivious towards. Even if my mother had walked in right when he was about to hit him, it wouldn't make a difference. I could tell my father would be too angry to stop harassing me once he had started, and unfortunately for me, I was just going to have to deal with it. I slightly opened my mouth with the intentions of finally saying something that wasn't in a stutter or a whisper, but only releasing a breath of air. My body was stiff and my voice was gone. At this point, I wish I was still at the hospital rather than standing here in front of my father as I anticipated another blow to my face because if I didn't know any better, I'd be on my way back there anyway.

His jaw was clenched, and his voice was deep as he questioned me again. 'Alright, I'm going to ask you this one more time - _where_ did all of this come from?' My father gritted through his teeth. I still didn't know how to respond, but I knew I had to say something even though the same result would happen whether I said anything or not.

I blinked several times, while licking my lips. 'I... I don't know, dad...' I replied timidly. Normally I wasn't this afraid to talk back to my dad, but with the lack of knowledge I had about these drugs mysteriously getting inside of my purse, I was at a loss for words.

'You don't know? What the hell do you mean, _you don't know_!? Drugs can't magically appear just anywhere on their own!' My father hollered enraged and furiously.

'I know dad, but I'm telling you the truth!'

'May, how stupid do you think I am!? You obviously have these drugs for a reason, and now you're trying to play stupid and innocent, so I don't end up slapping the shit out of you! Well, guess what? I'm beating your ass, anyway!' My father shouted as I could feel the tears running down the sides of my face. However, he wasn't going to hit me with his hands like I was expecting him to do.

I watched closely and horrifically as he threw the drugs onto the floor that was concealed inside of a plastic bag, and then taking a step back, lifting up his shirt, and unbuckling his belt. He vigorously slid it from off of his waist, and roughly grabbing my arm as he whipped me with his belt over and over again. Every time the belt made contact with my skin, it felt like a gun shot wound to my body each time; that's how painfully it hurt. The excruciating pain I would feel just from my father hitting me with his hands was nothing compared to how his belt felt against my sensitive, pale skin.

I was crying so hard, my vision was blurred, and I was so screaming so loudly, I was beginning to lose my voice. I struggled each time with escaping my father's firm grip, but he'd only yank me back twice as harder every time. It's been years since my father's beaten me with his belt, and I thought for awhile that I'd never have to experience it ever again. My dad continued to whip me which felt like for hours, and at this point, Drew and Brendan were the last things on my mind. With what I was going through right now, I had forgotten all about them.

About a few more minutes, and my father was getting in his last couple of hits before shoving my face down onto the floor. My body felt numb, and it was red all over with plenty of bruises on it. I laid there on the ground with my face down, and my tears muffled. I didn't even have the strength to get up as my father just stood there watching me whimper and scramble to stand up. Subsequently, I managed to at least get up on my hands and knees. Presently, I was hyperventilating as I looked up at my dad with mixed emotions. One minute he claims he's only brutal on me because he 'loves' me, but his fierce abuse tells me otherwise.

I honestly feel like he gets the joy out of seeing me hurt and crying and struggling because he knows he'll always get away with it. Right now, I was still crying, but not because of the beating or my dad falsely accusing me of using drugs - no, I was crying because I was beginning to lose faith. I was slowly but surely losing the little ounce of strength I had left to fight and argue with him. He was winning, and I absolutely hated to admit it. All I ever wanted to do was to prove how strong I am against him and his violent ways by never letting the thought of him going to hit me stop me from defending myself.

I didn't want him to feel the satisfactory over me by seeing me give up, and I _certainly_ didn't just want to run away because to me, that wouldn't be solving the problem either. However, there is _one_ thing I noticed that was different about my father's face, and that was that he wasn't smiling. His mouth was in the form of a straight line as he just stared at me nonchalantly, and I couldn't decipher what he was thinking or feeling right about now. I couldn't tell whether he felt remorseful, regretful, satisfied, victorious, upset, ecstatic - nothing. He just glared at me with a bland and emotionless expression.

I then coughed as I got ready to speak. '...Are you happy now? Did you get the chance to satisfy your wants by watching me scream and cry, while you had me defenseless?' I asked him sneeringly, while at the same time struggling to talk.

'I told you I don't know where those drugs came from, but it seems like trusting or believing me would just kill you, right? It's like everything that comes out of my mouth is nothing but bullshit, right? You claim that you beat on me because you love me which if that's the case, you must love me _a lot_...' And as I talked, my father still didn't say anything, nor did his expression change, so I didn't stop.

'...Honestly, I don't even think you know what it truly means to love someone. I mean, you _don't_ love mom, you _don't_ love Max, and you sure as hell _don't_ love me, so why are you even still here? If you hate us so much, and we're so annoying because we don't do everything you say, then why don't you just leave? ...It'd probably benefit all four of us if did, anyway because that way none of us would be living our life in fear of you anymore, and you could go off and get married to some other lady, and have the dream family you always wanted.' Right now, I was feeling invincible because my father wasn't doing or saying anything, and even if he did, nothing could be worse than what he's already done to me, and I'm not just talking about recently.

I didn't have anything else to say, and soon my dad realized that as he simply exited my room; closing the door behind him. I wasn't sure if anything I said to him right before he left made a difference to him at all, but regardless, it still felt good to get that off of my chest. And now that he was gone, I tried getting up off of the floor again since I was still on my hands and knees. While I attempted doing that, I heard my closet door beginning to open as Drew and Brendan slowly and cautiously walked out. Once they had seen that my father was finally gone, they noticed me on the floor, and quickly tried helping me up with both of them on either side of me as they gently grabbed a hold to one of my arms. It doesn't matter, though because I had refused to get any sort of help from _them_.

'Wait May, you're hurt! Let us help you up!' Drew stated worriedly.

'Yeah, we'll help you over to your bed.' Brendan retorted in agreement.

That's when I yelled out in a rage of fury. 'No, don't touch me! Get the hell off of me_ right now_!'

They were both startled from the tone of my voice, and quickly letting go of me as they took a few steps back. 'May, why are you so upset when we're only trying to help you?' Drew questioned me.

'Why? _Why_? What the hell do you mean, _why_!? My father just came in my bedroom interrogating me about how drugs got into my purse which I have no idea how, almost beat me nearly to death, and you two didn't do a got damn thing!' I hollered boisterously, and eventually standing up all on my own.

'But you're the one, who told us to hide in the closet in the first place!' Brendan responded defensively.

'It doesn't matter! When you heard me crying and screaming as loud as I was because of him hitting me, why didn't either of you think to come and help me!? Oh that's right, because you're both too afraid of what my father might do to you! Well news flash you bunch of scardy ass punks, but what you think he'll do to you won't even compare to what he's already done to me! I have scars and bruises and horrific nightmares and memories that will _never_... _go_... _away_! Shit, I'm braver than the two of you put together!'

Drew and Brendan exchanged sympathetic looks with each other as a look of guilt and regret was seen on their faces. That's when Drew tried to speak. '...May, we're sorry-'

'Sorry!? Why don't you tell that to my fresh bruises and throbbing skin!? Drew, you were supposed to be my friend! As many times as I defended you against my father, and you couldn't even help me out this one time! You know, I was actually really upset when you started ignoring me, but now I don't give a damn if we never talk again!' I uttered bitterly. Drew was speechless. I could tell that he was experiencing so many emotions right now, that he didn't know which one to feel first.

Then I looked back at Brendan. 'And _you_ Brendan - ever since you showed up at my doorstep, my life's only gotten worse if that's even possible! I mean, I got drunk, sent to the hospital, and now I'm getting caught with drugs! And I bet you're just going to stand there and tell me how you had nothing to do with that, right?' I inquired suspiciously.

'_Yes_, because I _didn't_ have anything to do with it! I'm just as clueless about all of this as you are!' Brendan pleaded.

'Oh, screw you because you and Drew can both kiss my ass. I want nothing to do with either one of you from here on out.' I mentioned, and snatching Drew's necklace off of my neck as I then threw it at him. He stared down at it on the floor, and then back at me with his eyebrows furrowed.

'May, what are you doing!? I bought that necklace especially for you for your birthday!' Drew argued.

'Well, now I don't want it! Why don't you just give it to the next girl you happen to come across, who has a father you're not scared shitless of!?' I bellowed viciously. Drew tried to protest, but I quickly cut him off.

I held up my hand. 'You know Drew, you're not even supposed to be here, so if I were you, I'd get out while I still have a chance.' I groaned, and then gazing back at Brendan.

'As for _you_, you may live here now temporarily, but I'm ordering you to stay the hell away from me. Don't look at me, don't talk to me, don't come near me. In fact, just act like I'm a person you can't stand, and leave me alone.' I gritted through my teeth, and limping over towards my bed.

Brendan and Drew continued to stand in the middle of the room still in disbelief from all of this before finally starting to leave with Drew making the first move. He picked up the necklace he gave me off of the floor, clutching it in the palm of his fist, and glaring at me one last time before walking out with Brendan following right behind him. Once I was completely alone, I started to cry again. I felt like nothing in my life - nothing I did ever went the way I wanted it to, and now I was all by myself, and paying the price. I rather grow old and die alone than to be in a relationship with a guy, who's anything like the two of them are, and that's a fact.

* * *

Drew eventually managed to successfully leave the house without Norman seeing him since he had went into his room after walking out of May's, and I just ended up going into the room I was going to be staying in which was across the hall, and diagonal from May's room. I knew I should've been trying to unpack all of my clothes, but with everything that just happened, I couldn't focus. I had no idea May had an abusive father, and I had never seen her so angry and distraught even though I haven't known her that long, but what she said to me earlier really had me feeling guilty. I've only known May for a few days, and yet I've caused her so much problems. Now she wants nothing to do with me, _or_ Drew for that matter.

I knew she had told me to stay away from her, but she had another thing coming if she believes I'm going to ignore her so easily. I needed to make up for all of the trouble I've caused her, and just start over with May. I feel like she never liked me from the start considering her father basically forced us together, but I was still fortunate enough to get her to talk to me. The way I see it, if May and I had met on different circumstances, then our relationship would've ran a whole lot more smoothly. I'm not saying we would've ended up a couple, but maybe we would've had the same close bond her and Drew had before he ruined it.

This entire situation was beginning to stress me out. It bothered me that May and I were now living under the same roof, but she hates me so much that she doesn't even want me looking at her. I had to do something. I needed to earn May's trust back, and I needed to do it now because if not, I would seriously lose my mind. I walked out of my temporary bedroom, and down the hall towards Max's room. I could tell he was in there because I could hear him playing a video game on his T.V. I tried knocking on the door before answering, but the television was so loud he couldn't even hear me, so I just walked right in.

I walked up from behind him, and lightly tapped him on his shoulder immediately startling him. He then paused his game, and furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at me. 'Uh, can I help you?' He asked me awkwardly.

'Uh, yeah... I was actually hoping you had a minute to uhm, talk.' I inquired nervously.

Max cocked an eyebrow. 'Okay, and talk about _what_ exactly?'

I then falsely coughed. 'Your uhm... Your sister... May.'

'What about her?'

'I want to get her to like me and trust me again, but I need some advice. What should I do?' I asked him feeling slightly embarrassed since I was asking a thirteen year old about girls, but if there's anybody, who can help me out with May, it's her brother.

'Oh, is that all? Well if we're talking about trust, that's gonna be pretty difficult.' Max declared, crossing his arms.

'Difficult? How come?' I asked him curiously.

'Because May doesn't necessarily trust a lot of people besides me and our mom. If you want to get May to trust you, you have to be sincere.' Max told me, although I still didn't understand.

'You mean, show her that I care? Like buy her something?'

'No, man it's not always about the money and gifts when it comes to winning a girls' trust especially if that girl is May. The only sure fired way May will trust anybody is if you prove to her that she's worth it in your eyes.' Max clarified.

'Worth it?' I questioned him bewildered.

'Yeah, with everything May goes through with our father, and hardly having a normal life, she just wants someone in her life that will stick by her through all of it. Someone, who will defend her, and stick up to our dad no matter what. Once she sees you're willing to do all of that, then May is practically bound to trust you.' Max explained, and now that I think about it, that's almost the same thing May was telling Drew and I before in her room. If facing up to Norman was the only way to get May to trust me, then that's exactly what I was going to do.

I then smiled at Max appreciatively. 'Thanks, Max. I'm actually going to take you're suggestion, and do just that. However, there is still _one_ more thing I would like to know...' My voice trailed off.

'What is it?' Max queried incredulously.

'How would you describe May and Drew's bond with each other?' I asked him. I knew Drew and May were no longer friends, but hypothetically speaking anyway. I wanted to know how close they really were before all of this happened.

'May and Drew? They're best friends. If there's one word to describe they're relationship, it'd probably be attraction. They haven't known each other long, but you could still easily sense how much those two care about one another regardless of what our father thinks of Drew. When May first met Drew, she wouldn't stop talking about him even when he stopped talking to _her_. It's pretty obvious to me my sister has a crush on him, but doesn't want to admit it, but if anything, he most likely likes her too.' Max confessed, and that's what I figured. Max obviously doesn't know, yet what happened between the two of them, but after how he just described them, he'll probably be shocked.

'Alright, thanks again Max. I'll see you later.' I assured him, and promptly exiting his room. If I was going to earn May's trust back, then I have to deal with her father first, and hopefully after that, we'll be back on good terms. A couple of hours had gone by since the entire incident, and we were all eating dinner together. The mood around the table was awkward and silent as nobody wanted to speak unless spoken to first. May and I sat at opposite ends of the table, and her and her father never gave eye contact to each other once. It killed me to see how Norman and May truly were, and not having that sweet father, daughter bond like I had originally thought.

When dinner had ended, everybody headed their separate ways. Max went back upstairs to his room, Norman and Caroline went to their bedroom, and my dad went off in some secluded area of the house to make a phone call. That then only left May, who I seen had went outside rather than upstairs to her bedroom. I watched her as she walked out with a blanket on her arm, and a cup in her hand as I had no idea where she was going, or what she was planning to do once she got there. Although I was aware she didn't want me near her, I followed after her anyway.

I ambled towards the front door, and gradually opened it as I peeked my head outside. I was mainly looking around in front of me, so when I heard May's voice, I didn't realize she was sitting right on the porch. The unexpected sound of her voice startled me at first, but I noticed that it wasn't loud and hostile like before. She was calm and at ease, so I took that as a positive sign that it was okay to come out and talk to her. I stepped out onto the porch, and softly closed the door behind me. I seen she had been sitting on one of those chairs that look like outdoor couches that also swing. The blanket she had brought along with her was draped around her body, and I seen the cup she had was full of tea.

I wanted to say something to her, but I was still kind of nervous to be around her after how angry she was just hours before. Luckily for me, though that she spoke first. 'I can see you're following me now. You just can't stay away can you?' She mentioned, but not rudely or irritable. Her voice was serene, and she had a faint smile on her face.

I scratched the back of my head anxiously. 'Uh, I guess not... Mind if I sit down?'

May stared at me for a few seconds almost as if she was debating the answer to herself, and gently shaking her head, no. I then carefully sat down beside her, but making sure I wasn't too close. I exhaled deeply. '...So what made you want to come out here?'

May looked up at the sky. 'I needed some place to go that was quiet and peaceful to calm down, and a certain someone told me if I did this a lot more often, then I wouldn't be so stressed out all the time...' Her voice trailed off soothingly. I had no idea about who she was referring to, but I was glad to see she was feeling a lot better.

'Oh, yeah? Well, I think it's great... The stars and moon look very nice tonight.' I mentioned as I looked up towards the dusk sky above me. May didn't respond however, so it soon became quiet amongst us again. I then decided to ask her a question - you know, just to be sure.

'So May...'

'Hm?' She hummed softly.

'You're not uhm, you're not still upset about what happened between me, you, and Drew are you?'

May calmly shook her head. '...No, when you guys left my room, and I had some time to myself, I started to think - the way I was yelling and cursing at you and Drew had me seeming just like my father when he's yelling at _me_. It practically... _scares me_ when I witness how loud and harsh I can be at times too, and the last thing I want is to be anything like my father.'

I listened closely as May spoke to me, and I was beginning to feel even more sorry for her. 'But May, how come you never told me that your dad... _hits you_?' I asked her concerned.

'It's not something I really like to talk about, Brendan, and I'm still just getting to know you. Besides, I figured if you stuck around long enough, you'd find out about it sooner or later, so I just kept quiet. I'm not proud of the relationship me and my father have, but I don't think there's anything I could do. And then there's times I try to do whatever my dad says so I don't make him mad, but it never lasts long. After awhile I start to feel like his little dog that he can just order around. When he says, sit I sit. When he says, stop I stop. I don't like the thought of feeling vulnerable and defenseless, but sometimes I have no other choice.' May explained, and as she did, I acknowledged the few tears rolling down her cheeks. I then scooted over closer to her, and tenderly wiped them off of her face with my thumb.

May smiled at me warmly. '...Thank you, Brendan... I know I said, I wanted you to stay away from me, but I'm actually really glad you didn't listen to me. I was just really angry and hurt before with everything that went on with my father, and I took it out on you and Drew. Trust me, I didn't mean any of those things I said about you. I mean, yeah a lot of things have happened to me since meeting you, but you aren't making my life worse. I know you were just protecting me at the party when you tried to get Dawn and Misty not to force me to drink, but I disregarded you anyway. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have gotten drunk and sent to the hospital, so I'm really sorry... You're actually a really nice guy.' May told me apologetically and bashfully.

I was breathless. I feel like this moment right here was the first and most genuine conversation May and I have ever had since meeting each other, and now she's finally beginning to see how much I care about her. I knew how much May didn't want to drink that night, so I didn't want her to feel pressured, but I guess best friends always beat the guy you just met every time no matter how right you are. And I was worried as ever when May went to the hospital. All I could think about that entire time was being sure she would be okay, and getting her home safe. Yeah, I was scared of what her father would do to me, but I knew it wouldn't compare to what he'd do to me if May _wasn't_ all right. I then felt May grab my hand.

I gazed at her hand in mine, and soon up at her to see her grinning at me. 'Thanks for coming to talk to me, Brendan. I'm going to talk to Drew too, but I'm sure he needs time to think, so I'll talk to him tomorrow.' May told me, and standing up.

'I'm going to bed now, though so I'll see you in the morning... goodnight.'

'Night, May...' I replied, and letting go of her hand. I watched her as she walked back inside, and then leaning my head back on the chair with an affectionate smirk on my face. May and I were slowly but surely getting back on the right track, so all I have to do now is prove to her that she's worth it in my eyes, and that means, telling Norman everything he needs to know - starting with the party. And now that May isn't mad at Drew anymore either, it's only a matter of time before she begins to develop feelings for him, and I was not going to let that happen.

If Drew wanted May, then he was going to have to get threw _me_ first.

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_**Rant: Guys, I realize Chapter Nine was poorly written and not some of my best work, but I'd rather you not say anything about it or even agree with me especially when I'm honest enough to admit it for myself. When I wrote Chapter Nine, I wasn't feeling well at all, but I still wrote through the pain anyway, so I could post a chapter for you guys because I know how much you love the story. And honestly, I didn't want to mention this, but I had writer's block for Chapter Nine. I didn't know half of what I wanted to write, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for too long, so that's when the whole idea of Brendan living with May came to mind. The point is, if there's possibly another time I write a poor chapter, try to ignore it because it doesn't make me feel any better when some of you are saying how bad it is. It lowers my esteem, and then I don't feel motivated to write anymore.**_

_**Now I'm not referring to everybody (you know who you are) because I noticed that a lot of you still enjoyed the chapter very much, and you don't know how happy that made me after how horribly I was feeling about last chapter. **_

_**That's also why I wanted to make Chapter Ten as great as it could be, so tell me what y'all think. Did y'all like it? I wanted to redeem myself, so hopefully I did, lol. **_

_**The next few chapters will be even more interesting so bare with me, but for now I have a couple more questions I want to ask regarding this chapter.**_

_**1. What do you think Norman was feeling/thinking, while May was talking to him?**_

_**2. Do you think May was right when she said, Drew and Brendan should've helped her, or just overreacting?**_

_**3. How do y'all think Drew felt when May snatched off his necklace?**_

_**4. Do y'all think it's cute or kind of creepy that Brendan won't leave May alone? (Regardless of what happened between them at the end)**_

_**5. Do you think May forgave Drew and Brendan too quickly and easily, or do you think she just had a reality check or something?**_

_**Just like before, you guys don't have to answer all of the questions (though I'd love it if you did), but do whatever works for you. :)**_

_**Author's Reply: tiffanynicolexo, Your review made me smile so much! I truly appreciate you taking the time to read all of my long chapters, and that you love the story so much. There's people like you that read and review to my story regularly that I value very much especially the ones who've been reading the story since the very beginning, so thank you!**_

_**Ama Zon, I admire that you read Chapter Nine twice, you're much appreciated!**_

_**April, I've been reading you're reviews to the story all day, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I know there's things that happened between the characters you didn't like, but that's what makes this story so interesting, right? Everything's not always going to go the way you'd like or expect it to. And remember, I made the genres to this story Romance and Drama, so right now you guys are getting a taste of the drama. But once again, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**_

_**Remember, I update EVERYDAY as long as I gain the needed number of REVIEWS I ask for, so the more of you that review, the quicker the chapter comes.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[7+ Reviews for Chapter Eleven]**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Note: Okay, so this chapter right here is the longest one by far, and there's a person May talks to at a certain point in the chapter that isn't a fictional charcter. She's a real life person, just a heads up.**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Eleven | Love, or Not to Love.**_

I sat at the counter in the middle of the kitchen as I lazily ate me a bowl of cereal. It's like my stomach was telling me to eat, but my brain wasn't letting me. Obtaining sleep last night was difficult for me because I couldn't stop thinking about all of the events that had occurred. After my father beat me, he's been ignoring me, and acting as though I don't even exist. He hasn't spoken two words to me, and he walks right past me without even glancing in my direction. I mean, I should feel elated that my father is avoiding me rather than when he's basically breathing down my neck, but I wasn't. My father may be abusive and spiteful towards me, but no matter what he's still my father, so it actually bothers me when he's vaguely walking around here neglecting me. At the moment, he's already gone off to work, so it's actually pretty quiet in the house without him.

I mean, it's always quiet when he's never around, but this didn't feel like the same sort of silence. It felt empty and irregular to me without hearing his voice, and the feeling literally sent a chill down my spine. I know my father really does mean it when he says, he loves me it's just hard to believe him when he's beating and shouting at me right after he says it. My father's been this way towards me for years, and I've still yet to figure out how he became this way in the first place. My mother doesn't even know why he's so brutal and hostile sometimes, but I could tell she wanted answers just as much as I did. After I walked out of my bedroom this morning, I could hear my mother conversing on the phone with someone, but I couldn't decipher who.

While her and the unknown person continued to chat with each other, I eventually gained the knowledge that my mom had invited them over to the house to visit us. Apparently, we had never met them before since my father's been keeping us all away from each other for some odd reason, but that wasn't going to be the case for much longer. I knew my father wasn't aware that my mother had called up some of his relatives, and insisted that they come over, and he probably wasn't going to know about it until the last minute. It was obvious my mother had a purpose or motive for inviting them over, and I couldn't wait to find out what it is, but I didn't even have the slightest idea of when they were coming over. As I continued to gradually eat my cereal, I heard someone walk into the kitchen.

I looked up from my bowl, and seen that it was Brendan; all dressed up in his school uniform, and ambling over towards the refrigerator. He opened the door, and closing it back as I seen he had grabbed him an apple and a bottle of water. Brendan then walked over to where I was sitting, and sat down beside me in the next available stool in front of the counter. I had bashfully stared down at my cereal, and narrowing my eyes at him ever so often as he calmly sat there devouring his apple. Brendan and I hadn't spoken to each other since last night, and our conversation ended on good terms, but I feel like he's still a little nervous to talk to me.

I soon began tapping my finger on the counter to gain his attention as I noticed him gaze at my finger, and then up at me. For a few seconds, he didn't do anything but just stare at me, and I couldn't tell whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Subsequently, I glanced up at him too, and he immediately started smirking once our eyes were connected. I didn't understand where the sudden bliss had came from, but needless to say, I didn't realize before how much of a gorgeous smile he has. After taking another bite from his apple, he finally said something.

'You know, you're cute when you're trying to get my attention.' Brendan smirked cannily. I promptly gasped humorously from his comment, and lightly shoving him.

'You know, a 'Good morning, May how did you sleep?' would've been fine.' I retorted jokingly, causing Brendan to chuckle.

'I'm sorry, May, but _did you_ sleep well last night?' He asked me curiously. I looked over to him as I studied his face, and then looking back down as I sighed.

'...No, not really. I couldn't stop thinking about Drew.' I admitted sheepishly.

Brendan furrowed his eyebrows. 'Drew? How come?'

'Because I know I said, I'd talk to him during school, but the more I thought about how upset I made him feel had me wanting to talk to him sooner, so I tried calling him last night, but my call went straight to voicemail. I think he's possibly ignoring me again...' I responded ruefully. For a few seconds, Brendan didn't say anything as he sat there staring at his apple, so I figured he was thinking of his next words to say.

'I mean, you said it yourself May, Drew's probably still upset and in shock about what happened yesterday; _so in shock_ that it may take him more than a day to feel okay to talk to you again.' Brendan told me, and he actually made sense. The last time Drew ignored me, he told me he just needed some time to get his mind straight and calm his nerves, so that's probably what he's doing now.

I pursed my lips together as I exhaled through my nose, and then looking at Brendan. '...Yeah, you're probably right. I guess I do need to give him some more space, but I just can't help it. When Drew and I first met, there was a point where I wanted nothing to do with him, but after giving him another chance, I grew to like him. Drew doesn't have the most fabulous life, but he does what he can to make it through to the next day. The bond I share with him isn't like any other bond I've shared with anybody else, and I hate that we are the way we are all because I let my emotions get the best of me. I feel like a terrible friend...'

'May, you need to stop thinking that way. If you ask me, Drew wouldn't be able to stay away from you if he tried. You could make him the angriest guy in the world, but he'd still talk to you. Drew's a very sensitive person, so just give him some time, and I'm sure he'll come around eventually.' Brendan assured me with a confident smirk. I nervously smiled back at him after listening to his thoughtful words, and soon staring back down at my soggy bowl of cereal. Honestly, I thought talking about Drew and I that way would make Brendan uncomfortable, but I must say, he handled it well. And the more time he and I spend talking to each other, the more I realize how much of a great guy he is.

Once he had finished his apple, he tossed it into the trash, and then glared back at me. 'I'm about to head off to school now, and since our schools are right next to each other, I don't mind giving you a ride.' Brendan offered as he retrieved his backpack. My dad is normally the one to take me to school in the morning, but with him not speaking to me, he just left off to work without dropping me off first. And my mom already left the house to take Max to school after her phone conversation, so having Brendan drive me to school was starting to seem like a good idea. I poured out the rest of my cereal, and smiled at Brendan as I walked up beside him with my backpack on my shoulder.

'Okay, I'm in.' I agreed, and following him out of the house, and locking the door behind us. The overall ride to school was pleasant and calm to say the least. Brendan and I talked about nothing in particular as if we were best friends who've known each other for years. This was only my second time being in his car, and I was a lot more comfortable and aloof, while being alone with him than I was during the first time we met. Truthfully, I'm glad I had Brendan in my life right now because with everything I've been dealing with, with Drew, it feels good to have someone there, who genuinely understands, and wants to help me get my mind off of things. After the brief ride from home to school, Brendan parked his car right in front of the building.

I was busy retrieving my backpack from the backseat, and adjusting myself to get out of the car with the car door already opened, so I could get out when the sudden feel of someone touching my shoulder distracted me. I turned around to face Brendan again, and acknowledged the skittish expression on his face. Evidently, I knew he wanted to tell me something, or maybe even _ask_ me something, so I questioned him.

'Uh, is everything alright, Brendan?'

'Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something. Uhm, you see... me and my dad are going out somewhere together after I get out of school, and I was wondering if you wanted to come too?' He asked me bashfully.

I cocked an eyebrow skeptically. 'Well, it depends. Where are you two going?'

'I actually want to keep it a surprise just in case you _do_ decide to come, but let's just say, it's a place very special to me and my dad.' Brendan told me with a warmly grin. I still had no clue about this place he was referring to, but the more he talked about it, the more intrigued I became. He's also going to this place along with his father, so there's only so many places he could be indicating about for fathers and son.

I soon nodded my head. 'Okay Brendan, I guess it wouldn't hurt if I came along. I'll be going with you, and my dad's best friend, so I'm sure he won't mind.' I explained, agreeing to his proposition.

His grin instantly became wider. 'Thanks, May. I'm sure you're going to love it, so just prepare yourself. I'll even drive us back home together unless your dad's is coming to get you?' Brendan stated questionably. My face immediately softened as I lowered my head down.

I sighed heavily. '...My father and I aren't speaking to one another right now, so I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't planning to pick me up today.' I retorted remorsefully.

Brendan furrowed his eyebrows in concern. 'Really? Well, that's odd, but I'm sure he just needs time to think just like Drew does. You're his daughter, so it's not like he can ignore and resent you forever especially, while you two are living in the same house.'

I smiled at Brendan appreciatively. 'Yeah, you're right, and I love how open you are, and how you can affect my mood so easily. With how depressed I am on a daily basis, I need more people like you in my life... Thanks, Brendan.'

'No problem, May. I'll always be here if you need me, but we should probably get to school now before the bell rings.' Brendan replied as I gazed at the time on his car radio. There was still ten minutes before the first bell rings, and I still needed to get to my locker, so I had to hurry.

'Yeah, okay, so I'll see you after school, right?' I inquired expectantly, while at the same time exiting out of the car, and closing the door as I stared at him through the window that was currently rolled down.

'Of course, May.' Brendan assured me, and promptly driving off to his school's parking lot after saying, bye to me one final time. I stared out in the distance until his car turned a corner, and he was completely out of sight. Drew and Brendan go to the same school, and even though they aren't the best of friends, hopefully Brendan will tell Drew how sorry I am about yesterday. Needless to say, I wasn't getting my hopes up. Even if Brendan does see Drew, and tries to talk to him, it's not going to mean anything unless Drew hears it from me personally. I sighed one final time pessimistically, and gradually walking towards the front entrance of the school.

Once inside, I casually maneuvered my way through the halls until I reached my locker, and placing in my combination when I noticed two figures walk up beside me just as I got my locker open. I slid my backpack off of my shoulder, and glaring to my right to see Misty and Dawn standing next to me with apologetic looks on their faces. I hadn't seen them since Saturday at my chaotic and deranged party where I left entirely intoxicated and unaware of what was happening, so I didn't know what to say to them, nor did I know how to feel. I mean, I know it was wrong of them to pressure me into drinking, but they were only trying to make me have some fun on the one day of the year that actually matters for me, or at least _should_. Their hearts were in the right places, and I was just becoming too fed up with being mad at people that I didn't have the strength to be angry at them even if I wanted to.

As I placed some books into my locker, I calmly spoke to them. 'Hey...' I uttered lowly and inactively. They both exchanged glances with each other, and then flinging their bodies against me as they embraced me in a warm hug, while repeatedly saying, 'I'm sorry' a thousand times in my ears prior to finally letting go of me.

'May, we are _so_ sorry about the way we treated you at the party. We were uhm, a bit tipsy already when you first showed up that night, so we weren't being ourselves when we forced you to drink.' Misty pleaded to me.

'Yeah, we were completely out of line, and we'll never pressure you into doing something you're not comfortable with ever again, sober or not.' Dawn added convincingly.

I smiled at the both of them tenderly. 'It's alright guys, really. We were all pretty out of it during that party, and I know you only wanted me to have fun for a change. Your intentions were good, so I'm not mad at you.'

'Really? Well, thank God for that. We still feel really bad, though so we got you something.' Dawn told me.

'We were actually planning to give it to you the day of the party, but we waited until today instead.' Misty responded, and removing a nicely wrapped present out of her backpack. I looked at the gift she held firmly in her grasp that was wrapped perfectly in a crimson colored wrapping paper - my favorite color, and casually extracting it from her grip. I excitedly teared all of the paper off, and finding inside a small, plush Teddiursa that was probably the size of two tennis balls, and holding a red heart in its paws that had the words 'We luv you _this much_' in fine, white cursive.

'Awe, you guys shouldn't have!' I exclaimed lively.

'There's something else in there too.' Misty told me. I carefully set the Teddiursa bear onto the shelf of my locker, and gazing down into the bottom of the box. I instantly shouted out in joy when I seen what it was.

'You guys got me a bandanna!?' I bellowed excitedly, and quickly unfolding it after taking it out of the box to get a better look of it.

'Yeah, we know how much you don't like flashy and expensive things for your birthday...' Dawn uttered.

'And we know how much you love to wear bandannas, so we got you another one to add to your collection.' Misty concluded, finishing up Dawn's sentence. I hugged the both of them again, but more tightly than last time after admiring the gift they had given to me.

'I love you guys so much!'

'We love you too May, and you better believe we've learned our lesson. When we got sent to jail, the officers let each of us make a phone call. I ended up calling my mom, and she helped to bail me, Ash, _and_ Paul out of jail that night. We're now all on punishment for like a month, but I guess I can't say, we don't deserve it.' Misty mentioned consciously.

'Yeah, and I'm on punishment too. Once the doctors got a hold of my parents, they left from their weekend get away early, and came to the hospital before taking me home. They were happy I was okay, but grounded me for two months - a month for having a party without their permission, and another month for drinking. I literally can't go anywhere except school and back, and it's practically torture.' Dawn groaned.

'But what about you? I'm sure your dad was pissed when he found out you went to a party, and got drunk, right?' Misty assumed.

I hesitantly shook my head. 'Uh, nope. Thing is, he doesn't even know about the party...' I admitted humbly.

'No way, really? Well, it's probably for the best because your dad would literally kill you if he ever found out.' Dawn stated, and crossing her arms as she nodded her head.

'There is _one_ thing I'm still confused about, though...' Misty's voice trailed off.

I furrowed my eyebrows in perplexity. 'What is it?'

'Who was that boy that came with you to the party?' Misty asked me.

Dawn immediately gasped. 'Yeah, I remember now! Before my parents came to the hospital, somebody had came in my room to check up on me, and I'm pretty sure it was the same guy, who came with you to the party... Is he your boyfriend, May?' Dawn queried suspiciously.

My eyes abruptly enlarged as I briskly waved my hands in front of my face. 'What!? No, we're just friends... Why would you even ask that?'

Dawn shrugged. 'I don't know, I guess I just assumed since you came to the party with him, and not Drew. And when he came inside of my hospital room, he wouldn't stop talking about you.'

'What... What do you mean?' I questioned Dawn bashfully.

'Things like how he was worried about you since you were apparently in the hospital too, and how he hoped you wouldn't be upset with him or anything once you woke up, and figured out everything that happened.' Dawn told me. I then started thinking about when I yelled at him yesterday, and blaming him for what happened to me at the party. Whoops.

'He then started talking about... Drew? I don't know, I guess they had gotten into an argument right before he came to see me. He didn't know I was listening to him, but I pretty much heard everything he said.' Dawn remarked mellowly. I was speechless. I had no idea how concerned Brendan truly was for me, and it kind of brings a whole new perspective of him now.

'I mean, from the way he was talking about you, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you two _were_ dating, but I'm sure you're just saving your heart for somebody else, right May?' Dawn winked as she nudged my arm, and she didn't have to verbally say it for me to know she was talking about Drew especially after that talk we had at my house. I reluctantly blushed as I stared down at the floor.

'It's alright, May you don't have to say anything because your rosy red cheeks tell it all.' Dawn teased just as the bell for first period rang. I gathered up all of the books and supplies I'd need, and soon walking with Dawn and Misty to homeroom. I couldn't even focus in any of my classes for the remainder of the day as Drew and Brendan were the only two things on my mind.

After school, I had walked outside to see Brendan's car parked out on the curb waiting for me, and jogging over as I sat in the front seat. During lunch I had tried calling my dad just to be sure whether or not he was picking me up from school, but he never picked up, nor did he call me back. I then texted my mom to let her know I was I getting a ride home with Brendan just so at least _one_ of my parents knew of my plans, and could inform the other. Once Brendan and I arrived home, we quickly changed out of our school uniforms, and getting dressed into something more casual for wherever it was we were planning to go to. We met up with Brendan's father, who stood outside by his son's car waiting for us, so he could drive all us to our destination.

Brendan sat in the backseat with me to keep me company, and after about a half an hour I seen we had pulled up in front of this building with a banner hanging above the doorway that read, 'Feed the Homeless'. I was stunned, yet amazed all at the same time. I would've never guessed this was the place Brendan was referring to.

'Alright you two, we're here. Let's head inside now, and get to work.' Brendan's father announced, and being the first one out of the car. Brendan and I soon got out after him, and calmly taking our time as we ambled toward the building.

'So, you surprised?' Brendan asked me with a canny smirk.

'Very, I had no idea you and your dad did this together.'

'We used to do it a lot when my mom was still living, but even with her gone we still try to do this as often as we can.' Brendan explained as I looked at him sympathetically.

'You mean, your mother's dead? How did she die?'

'She died in a car accident a few years back, and my father and I have been traumatized by it ever since, but now we just make it a tradition to visit her grave every year on her birthday.'

'Wow, I can't imagine how this must feel for you. I can't even _begin_ to imagine what my life would be like without my mom.' I responded remorsefully.

'It's okay I mean, I still miss her like crazy, but I know doing this would make her proud, and I'm glad you agreed to come along too.' Brendan replied just as we walked inside. I observed the atmosphere of the people, and was surprised when I seen how many homeless people lived in Petalburg City. There were tables all over the room that made it resemble a school cafeteria, and a kitchen towards the back where a line of people stood to get them some hot meals for free. That's where Brendan and I went where we soon met back up with his father, and put on aprons and hairnets as we then began serving food to the many people that came by. I had seen all kinds of people that day; some seeming to be in their thirties, forties, and some even looking to be as young as twenty-five. They were all pretty skinny from not eating regularly, and their clothes were all worn out with rips in their pants, and holes in their shirts.

Brendan and I stood next to each other as we served meals to the people that came by, and greeting them as we introduced ourselves. And one thing I noticed was how friendly and at peace all of these people were. They were all homeless, and struggling with life, but never let that stop them from smiling. Once we were finished distributing food to everybody, we all took the time to walk around to the many tables, and talk to the people there. Some of them told me their stories of how they became homeless, and one story was never any less tragic than the last. At the time, Brendan and I had split up. He had gone to a different table to speak to people, while I was at another. However, as I was attempting to migrate to another location, I had bumped into this woman. Her skin was darker than mine, and she was seeming to be about 5'5 feet tall, and appearing to be in her early thirties. I then got a closer look of her face, and recognized her as one of the people, who helped served food today.

'Oh, I'm so sorry, honey are you okay?' She asked me kindly.

'Yeah, don't worry. Hey, aren't you one of the aids that helped serve food today?' I questioned her.

'Yes, I am. My name's Margaret.' She introduced, and shaking my hand as I introduced myself back.

'Is this your first time feeding the homeless?' Margaret asked me.

'Uh, yeah...' I confessed bashfully.

'Well, it's kind of hard to tell with how easily you interacted with everyone here.' Margaret replied truthfully.

'Really? Thanks, and what about you? I know this can't be _your_ first time, is it?'

'Oh no, of course not. I do this sort of thing all the time, and _not_ just in Petalburg City. I travel to all of the regions to help with the homeless since I used to be just like them just a few years back.' Margaret admitted, and my eyes immediately widened. I would've never guessed that Margaret used to be homeless, and she didn't mind telling me about how it happened, so we found an area for ourselves to talk just the two of us.

She exhaled soothingly before speaking. '...Let's see, I would say I became homeless when I was about twenty-three years old, and I ran away from home with my little sister. I lived in a home with my mom and my step-father, who would frequently abuse me on a day to day basis. I never had a supportive home, and was eventually sent to a women's hostel for most of my childhood. There was a time I wanted to come home, but my mother and step-father wouldn't let me, and at the age of eleven I tried to commit suicide.' Margaret began telling me, and I was already intrigued from what she was saying. She had an abusive person in her life too also trying to attempt suicide just like I did once when I was only nine years old.

'The abuse was a daily routine for me; verbally, mentally, physically - I could hardly go a day without stuttering and stammering, and when I was twenty-three things just became too much for me. I had my leg broken, my finger broken, where I was also told 'I'm not worth it, I'm stupid, I'm lucky, and should be grateful that they're letting me live in their home'. That's when I decided to run away. I soon suffered from depression and anxiety, and I wasn't gaining the proper support and care that I needed. During the first women's hostel I stayed at, I continued to self harm myself since it wasn't staffed all the time, and I was eventually sent to another hostel to obtain the support that I needed. However, prior to all of that, I had gone to the social services, but I had refused to tell them that my step-father was the one, who was beating me, and instead said that my boyfriend did it. Even through everything they've done to me, I didn't want to put them through that by telling the social services the truth because it's probably wrong for me say it, but I still love them. Regardless, all I ever wanted was for people to accept me for who I am, and once I got my life together, I began devoting my time to helping the homeless because I know exactly how it feels. I used to be in their shoes, and I would literally do anything I could to help them, but only if they truly want it.' Margaret informed me.

I was speechless. Here I was complaining about how bad _my_ life is when there's people whose lives are even worse than mine. I saw a lot of myself in Margaret and even though I don't believe I'll ever become homeless especially since I don't plan on running away, I still wanted to make things right with my father because no matter what I'll always love him.

I heard my voice crack as I tried to speak. '...Thank you so much for telling me your story, Margaret. I really appreciate it.'

'It was no problem at all May. I was happy to do it.' Margaret smiled, and at this point, I prayed the relationship with my father and I would hopefully get better.

* * *

'How do you feel mom?' I asked her worriedly.

'I'm beginning to feel a little better... Where's Cecelia?' My mother questioned me.

'She's asleep in her crib.' I informed her, and sitting down on the bed beside her. My mother had woke up this morning with a fever, and I insisted on staying home to take care of her. My dad had still went to work today, but only for a half day, so he'll soon be coming home later. I had gave my mother some medicine to take to help get rid of her cold, and after a few hours of letting her rest, I came back up here to check up on her.

'You know Drew, I really appreciate you staying home from school to take care of me, but you can't keep being absent. Something tells me there's another reason why you wanted to stay home that has nothing to do with me being sick... So tell me what's wrong. What's got my baby so flustered and upset?' My mother inquired, and carefully sitting up in bed as she softly rubbed my back. I didn't want to tell my mom what it was that was bothering me, but with how close we are she can always tell when there's something wrong with me.

I slightly shifted my body around, so I could get a better look at her, and soon sighing as I removed 'it' from my pocket. I held the object out in my hand for my mom to see as she looked at it in bewilderment. 'Drew, is that... is that what I think it is?' My mom stated breathlessly. I gradually nodded my head. I was showing her the necklace that I had purchased for May.

'But how do you have it? I thought you gave it to May yester-'

'She didn't want it.' I interrupted my mother with a bitter tone in my voice. My mother had came with me since I needed a ride to the store, anyway and helped me to pick out the gift to give to May for her birthday. She was so sure May was going to love it, but now she just looks confused and pessimistic.

'Well, what do you mean she didn't want it? Did she-'

'She just didn't want it mom, _okay_!? And I don't care, anyway. If she wants to carelessly throw around a gift I got especially for her like it's a piece of trash or something, then that's fine with me. I'll just find another girl, who'll appreciate the things I give her.' I gritted through my teeth as I clenched the broken necklace in my hand. May snatched it off of her neck so roughly that the chain doesn't even work anymore.

My mom gently placed her hand on my shoulder. '...You don't really mean that, Drew. I know you don't want to admit it, yet but you love May a lot... You love her so much that it's just hurting you right now, and you've never had a girl like May in your life before, who's rich while you're not, therefore you're constantly disowning the fact that she may actually like you too.' Listening to my mother's words only made me angrier as I balled up my fists, and vigorously stood up from her bed.

'You're wrong mom, _okay_!? You're wrong because I don't love May, and I never _will_ love May! She's exactly how I described her out to be when we first met, and nothing's going to change my opinion of her now! If she wants to be with Brendan, then good riddance to her because I don't give a damn about her or her crazy ass father!' And with that, I stomped out of my mother's room, and slamming the door behind me. I hated shouting at my mother the way I did just now, but her accusing me of liking May has gone on long enough. May isn't nothing special; she means nothing to me. I'll just find me someone who's not rich, and more appreciative of the things I do for them... That shouldn't be too hard, right?

* * *

I had already knew my plans for the night once we arrived back to May's house. On the ride back, May didn't say anything to me, and I could tell she was thinking really hard about something, so I decided to leave her alone. When we arrived back to the house, the sun was nearly gone. The three of us walked inside, and May quickly ran upstairs to her room with my father doing the same. However, my instincts told me Norman wasn't anywhere upstairs, so I started searching for him downstairs. That's when I had ran into Caroline.

'Hello there, Brendan. Did you, your father, and May have a nice time today feeding the homeless?' She asked me.

'Yeah, we had a great time. I could tell May really enjoyed herself, so I wouldn't be surprised if she ever wanted to go again.' I told her.

'That's good, but is there something you're looking for?' Mrs. Maple inquired. I guess she had noticed my wandering eyes right before walking up to me.

'Actually, yeah. I'm looking for your husband... Is he here?' I questioned anxiously.

'Yeah, he's sitting outside in the backyard.' May's mom informed me before walking away. Once she was out of sight, I walked through the kitchen and other parts of the house until I reached the back door. Knowing Norman was presently on the other side of this door had me nervous as ever since I was finally going to tell him everything that happened Saturday. I took a deep breath, and cautiously grabbed the doorknob with my arm trembling at the same time. I opened the door, and slowly stepped outside.

This was it... The moment of truth.

* * *

_**Alright, where to begin? Okay, so I brought Misty and Dawn back into the story because I know a lot of you have been wondering what happened to them since the party, so now you know - Misty along with Ash and Paul were bailed out of jail, and are now on punishment along with Dawn. They're not main characters, so I'm not trying to get too serious about what happened to them. **_

_**Then there was the scene when Brendan took May to feed the homeless, and she had a conversation with a woman, who used to be homeless once before in her life too. Btw, that story and woman is 100% real and true all I did was change her real name. I found the story on the internet, and decided to use it for this chapter, so I hope you guys liked it. I thought her story was perfect because the things that happened to her is similar to what I've made happen to May thus far like the abusive relative and attempting suicide. I wrote the entire 'feeding the homeless' scene how I would picture it to be, so hopefully the scene made sense.**_

_**Then there was the short scene between Drew and his mother.**_

_**1. How many of you agreed to what his mother, Leanne was saying, and think Drew is just being stubborn?**_

_**or**_

_**2. How many of you think Drew is right for feeling the way he is, and believing May was completely out of line? (Answer this truthfully - think about it from Drew's perspective)**_

_**And lastly, the very short scene with Brendan that ended in a cliffhanger. He's finally about to confront Norman about everything that happened Saturday since he's now taking Max's advice. **_

_**1. What do you guys think will happen?**_

_**Author's Reply: April, I absolutely loved your review from last chapter, and if I could hug you, I would. Thank you so much, and hopefully this chapter was just as enjoyable too! :)**_

_**tiffanynicolexo, Trust me, I just watch T.V. sometimes, and become inspired on what to write next, lol. I'm also really glad you're loving the story so far! Your reviews make me smile, so thank you! :)**_

_**Remember, I update EVERYDAY as long as I gain the needed number of REVIEWS I ask for, so the more of you that review, the quicker the chapter comes.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[8-10+ Reviews for Chapter Twelve]**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Note: I gained a lot of reviews for the last chapter, so I just wanted to take the time to thank everybody, who reviewed even the people, who didn't because I probably wouldn't even continue this story if it weren't for you guys, so thank you so much! I was actually planning to post a chapter yesterday, but my internet was down, so now I'm definitely going to post for you guys today. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Twelve | Hold On Me.**_

At first, I couldn't find Norman at all. I was expecting him to be sitting on the patio in one of the available chairs, but he was nowhere to be seen. The backyard was very large and spacious with a swimming pool in one area, and the rest of the land layered with freshly cut grass. I took diminutive steps further into the yard, and glaring left and right as I began to search for him. By now, the sun was completely gone, giving the sky a dusk and eerie appearance to it. While I continued to trek through the open space, I promptly spotted a tree in the distance, and squinted my eyes from the belief that I saw a figure standing beside it. The closer I got, the more positive I became that somebody really was standing next to the tree after all, and I quickly recognized the person as _Norman_.

He stood leaning his hand against the tree with his arm extended out, and holding a beer bottle in the other hand, while his head was down. I quietly walked up from behind him unable to see his face, but becoming close enough to hear what sounded like crying. I watched the way his body trembled as he weeped for some unknown reason that I wasn't aware of. At this point, I knew this wasn't a good time to discuss with him about the party, but I still didn't want to leave him like this without making sure he was okay. I cautiously crept up behind him, but just as I was about to say something, I was distracted by the sound of his voice as he talked to himself. I listened sharply to his words, but hardly anything made sense considering I had no idea what he was talking about.

'How could I... let that happen? She was my... baby girl... and I lost her.' He spoke in between sobs. For a second I had believed he was talking about May, but as soon as he said, 'I lost her', I had no idea who he was referring too.

'I'm sorry, baby... Daddy didn't mean it.' Norman stated still continuing to speak through his tears. I may not have been able to see his face, but just the thought of a grown man crying had me feeling uncomfortable. When I asked Caroline where her husband was, she told me in the backyard as if nothing weird was going on. Needless to say, she probably didn't even know Norman was out here crying and drinking. Once I was standing directly behind him in arm's reach, I gently tapped him a few times on his shoulder. He quickly flinched from the sudden contact, and briskly turning around; looking cluelessly until his eyes eventually met sight of my face.

His eyes were bloodshot red most likely from all of the crying, and his breath smelled like he'd been drinking for hours. Norman's face looked bloated, and he could barely stand up now that he wasn't leaning up against the tree anymore. Observing his appearance, I had lost track of what I wanted to speak to him about. His face immediately turned into a scowl as his jaw became clenched. Norman's mood had instantly changed once laying eyes on me, and I hadn't even said anything to him, yet.

'Uh, Mr. Maple... Sir?' I uttered just to be sure whether or not he understood me.

'What the hell do _you_ want?' He slurred with his words.

'I just wanted to know it you were okay?' I asked him slightly perplexed.

'Okay? _Okay_? Of course, I'm not okay! My daughter is gone... and it's... all my fault!' Norman replied beginning to cry again. At this point, saying I was confused was an understatement because to my knowledge, his 'daughter' was safe and sound inside of the house, so why does he keep saying, 'she's gone' and 'I lost her'?

I studied Norman's facial expression again, and examined how his mood had soon shifted from agitated to remorseful. I cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment, and briefly becoming startled from Norman's touch as he grabbed both of my shoulders with his hands, and staring into my eyes sympathetically. He then began talking again, but not to _me_ specifically. Norman was calling me by another name, specifically a girl's name, and lightly shaking my body for emphasis as he repeatedly said, 'I'm sorry' over and over again. He was beginning to frighten me more so than usual as I tried calmly to pry him off of my body. The more he talked, the more grief-stricken he became, while at the same time still referring to me as a girl, whose name is... _Sophie_.

A few moments later, and Norman was currently on his kness as he proceeded to cry and say, 'I'm sorry' to this 'Sophie' girl. Norman was literally a sloppy mess as I noticed his grip on me had eventually loosened, and quickly taking several steps away from him once I was out of his firm hold. Once I was far away enough that he couldn't easily grab me again, he tossed his half empty beer bottle off to the side, and crying hysterically on his hands and knees. His sobs were irregular, while he drastically hyperventilated, and shouting severely at himself saying things like 'I'm a horrible father' and 'Nobody loves me' and even threatening to kill himself. My eyes immediately widened from the personal threat, and in no time I was running back towards the house to find Caroline. I hollered immensely throughout the threshold in order to gain somebody's attention as I yelled through every room I entered.

As I began running up the stairs, I finally seen Caroline at the top of the staircase with a flustered look on her face. I stopped in the middle of the stairs, and taking a few seconds to catch my breath, so she could properly understand me.

'Brendan? Brendan, what's wrong!?' Caroling asked me in a panic, acknowledging my worried expression.

'It's... It's Norman... He's in the backyard all drunk up, and threatening to kill himself!' I abruptly informed her, panting exhaustingly from all of my recent running.

'What!?' Caroline gasped boisterously, and racing past me down the stairs as quickly as she could presently on her way to the backyard. As she was taking the time to go check up on her husband, I finished trotting up the rest of the stairs until I reached May's room. I didn't want to worry her, but I felt as though she needed to know about her father, and could soon tell Max when she gets the chance.

By now, I had obtained all of my breath, and exhaled deeply as I prepared myself to knock on the door. I calmly tapped on it three times, and hearing May's footsteps as she ambled towards the door. I watched her as she turned the knob, opening the door, and exposing my silhouette in the doorway. I was going to say something to her as soon as she answered the door, but I quickly stopped when I seen the look of uncertainty on her face. She looked distressed... confused... and spiritless as she glanced into my eyes. I wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but I abruptly found myself getting lost in her intense glare.

After a few minutes of us not saying anything, I promptly remembered what I wanted to talk to her about, and calmly trying to grab a hold of her wrist. 'May, there's something I got to tell you. It's about your-' But while I spoke to her, and trying to grab her wrist at the same time, so I could pull her into the hallway in order for us to talk in private, she quickly and unexpectedly snatched her arm away.

My eyebrows furrowed and my mouth was slightly agape as I stared at her in perplexity. I listened closely as she replied, 'You don't have to take me into the hallway just to tell me something, so just tell me what it is.' May stated sternly. I then glanced behind her into her room, and seen Max staring at me as well from inside of May's room; also intrigued about what I had to say. I lowered my head as I sighed. I soon noticed May beginning to close the door in my face.

'If you're just going to stand there sighing, then that must mean you have nothing to say-' She assumed, but I soon interrupted her.

'No, May I do!' I told her hastily as I pushed onto the door to get it from closing.

'Then what is it Brendan! It must be something important, so just hurry up and tell me already!' May exclaimed, becoming agitated.

'Okay, okay I'm sorry!' I apologized, and finally beginning to inform her about her father. '...It's about your dad...' I stated with my voice trailing off.

May cocked an eyebrow as she looked at me worriedly. '...What about my dad?' She asked timidly, and beginning to stutter. Max also stood up from the bed when he heard me say something about their father, and briefly becoming concerned.

I stared intensely into May's sapphire eyes as I spoke. '...I heard him say... He said uhm... He said, he was going to kill himself.' I finally informed her with sympathy in my voice.

'What!?' Her and Max bellowed simultaneously with Max immediately walking up beside his sister.

'What do you mean he said he was going to kill himself!? Where... Where is he!? Is he okay!?' May hollered, asking me question after question.

'I don't know if he's okay! Your mom went downstairs to check up on him!' I replied, and having Max shove right past me as he pushed me out of the way. He was currently on his way downstairs with May and I right behind him. Now back on the first floor, we could soon hear the voices of Caroline and Norman coming from the living room. When we walked inside, Norman had been stretched out on the couch with a blanket comfortably laying on top of him. Caroline sat beside him on the edge of the couch, and gently caressing his face as he continued to mumble words to himself. May and Max quickly ran up to him, and shouting his name before Caroline hastily shushed them.

They knelt down next to their father, and examined his appearance with worried expressions. Their father was drunk, and they had no idea what he was talking about. Max was the first one to start crying with May struggling to keep calm, and softly pulling his body into hers as she embraced him tightly. He cried onto her chest, and repeatedly saying, 'No, no, no!' over and over. I assumed seeing their father drunk and in the condition he was in wasn't an ordinary sight for them to witness. My eyes soon shifted to May as she tried to hold back the few tears that were trying to slip out, and the way she softly rocked her and Max back and forth, while Caroline rubbed her back. I felt bad for the three of them because it was obvious Norman wasn't a bad guy - he just had some personal issues that he'd been refusing to let go of.

* * *

There were so many things running through my mind right now. My father wasn't a drunk especially considering he never drinks, so I didn't understand why he allowed himself to get this way. He hasn't been the same since the day he beat me, and I'm slowly but surely beginning to think the reason for his abnormal behavior is because of me, and what I said to him that day. I wasn't certain whether or not anything I said to him got through to him, but it was evident _something_ was bothering him, and it took becoming drunk for him to finally say something about it. I looked at my father's face to see how pale his skin was along with how his body trembled.

His eyes were squeezed shut, and he proceeded to utter incoherent words that I couldn't understand. The longer I looked at my dad, the more stressed I became. I wanted to cry and breakdown into tears, but Max was already crying and distraught, and seeing me cry would only have him feeling worse. I then looked over towards my mother to see how nonchalant she appeared as if this had been an ordinary thing for her. I realize she may not have wanted to cry for Max and I's sake, but there was no sense of concern shown _anywhere_ on her face. She then excused herself out of the room as soon as her cell phone rang, and I watched her as she walked out, but soon focusing my attention back onto Max when I heard him call my name.

'May...' He mumbled sorrowfully, and tears still leaking out of his eyes.

'Yeah, Max?' I asked him calmly, while I continued to hold him in my arms.

'...Is dad gonna be okay? I mean, he's never gotten drunk before... What if he's sick?' Max questioned me, and although I wanted to tell him that our father was going to be okay, I couldn't because honestly, I wasn't even sure myself.

'I don't think dad is sick Max. He's just... upset about something right now, and I guess thought drinking would make him feel better.' I explained as subtly as possible.

'Do you know _why_ dad is upset?' Max queried curiously. I bit my bottom lip as I shook my head, no with Max staring at me sharply, but a few seconds later, and we heard our father say something. He turned his head towards me, and squinting his eyes open as a tender smile could be seen on his lips. Max and I instantly became relieved from the small sign of reassurance that our father was okay, but it didn't last long as the thing he said quickly caught us off guard. He removed his arm from underneath the blanket, and moving it towards my face as he softly touched my cheek. Max stared closely to the gesture, while my eyes never left my father's face. That's when he stated,

'Sophie... you know daddy loves you, right?' My father said consolingly. I looked at him in disbelief and bewilderment. All of a sudden, I felt the touch of someone positioning their hand onto my shoulder. I then glanced up to see Brendan staring down at me, and soon shifting his eyes to look at my father. At this point, I couldn't hold it in me anymore. My father was drunk, and continuously talking about a girl named Sophie. The tears in my eyes were soon blurring my vision, and I quickly stood up as I ran off towards the same room I saw my mother go into. When I walked in, she was still occupied on the phone, and glancing behind her when she heard someone come inside.

Once she seen it was me, she said one final thing to the person on the phone. '...I'll call you back.' And with that, she placed her cell phone back into her pocket, and walking toward me with open arms. I didn't even move. Instead I just stood there, letting her come near me, while I stood there crying in one place. When I could eventually feel her arms around me, I cried drastically onto her chest, and coughing vigorously with my breathing irregular. I could hear my mother's softening voice as she calmly shushed me, and gingerly rubbing my back. I was so flustered and shaken up by my father's attitude that I kept blaming myself for all of it.

I constantly asked myself questions like 'What's wrong with my dad?' and 'Did I do something to him?' and 'Why does he keep talking about a girl named Sophie?' I had so many questions, but yet not receiving enough answers. Needless to say, my cries and questions were muffled since I spoke into my mother's shirt, and crying too hard for anybody to understand me, anyway. Eventually my mother lightly pushed me off of her body, and placing both of her hands onto my cheeks as she looked directly into my eyes. I kept sniffing and panting that she could barely find the right moment to say anything to me. She then gently wiped some of the tears off of my face before speaking.

She sighed heavily. '...May, I know you're upset, but trust me, your dad is going to be okay.' She assured me sternly, but I didn't respond.

My mothered then stared down at the ground shamefully. '...I knew I was going to have to tell you about this eventually, but I was trying to wait for just the right moment.' She said to me. Her choice of words and the tone of her voice only had me more anxious for what she was about to tell me, and I couldn't decipher whether I truly wanted to know about it or not. Nonetheless, I was beginning to feel as though I was better off _not_ knowing, but something told me it was too late. My nerves were kicking in, and my heartbeat was racing. My palms were sweaty, and my forehead was aching. I was experiencing so many emotions right now, and what my mother was about to tell me was only going to expand on it, and make it worse. I'm not sure if I was ready for this.

* * *

Cecelia comfortably sat on my lap as she peacefully sucked on my finger. Since I hadn't gone to school today, I decided to let Hilda come over again to help me get some last minute extra studying in for the Science test I would've taken today if it weren't for me being absent. After I stormed out of my mom's room during our brief discussion, I eventually went back inside, and apologized for the way I yelled at her once I had calmed myself down. I knew I had hurt her feelings at least a little bit, and even so she deserved an apology, anyway. My mother was only trying to get me to understand something, and I let my anger and frustration get the best of me, and carelessly taking it out on her. I still don't believe her when she says I love May, but it was completely wrong of me to yell at her, while she's sick and in bed.

An hour or two had gone by since the incident, and I could hear Cecelia crying from her room once she woke up from her nap. I had retrieved her from her crib, and brought her downstairs to feed her a bottle after I changed her diaper. I didn't like doing it, but my mother felt as though I should learn how for times like this, and if I ever have a daughter of my own someday. Her words weren't very encouraging, but it's not like I had a choice. We were soon just watching T.V., while we waited for Hilda to arrive, and all of a sudden, she grabbed my hand, and stuck one of my fingers in her mouth. She'd cry and whine every time I took my finger away, so willingly I just stopped fighting with her. Now Hilda's here, and we're sitting in the living room studying, while she's _still_ sucking on my finger.

'Okay, did you finish the practice test I gave to you?' Hilda asked me.

'Yeah.' I retorted plainly, and handing over the piece of paper she printed out for me before coming over. While she took the time to look over it, the room had suddenly fell quiet. The silence was giving me a chance to think, so I decided to talk to Hilda about my little 'dilemma' to figure out whether she feels the same way my mother does.

'Uh, Hilda...' I muttered hesitantly.

'Yes, Drew?' Hilda replied, but not looking up from my paper.

'There's uhm, there's something I want to talk to you about.' I announced to her. Subsequently, Hilda stopped moving her pen that she was using to check my answers, and looking up at me attentively.

'What is it, Drew?' She inquired with concern etched into her voice. I tried to think of a way I could say this that would make sense, but every way I thought of seemed weird to me, so I decided to give it my best shot.

'What - No... _How_ do you think of me as... a boyfriend?' I questioned still confused whether or not that made sense.

Hilda's cheeks immediately turned red as her eyebrows raised. '_A boyfriend_? Why... Why are you asking?' She stuttered bashfully.

I shrugged my shoulders anxiously. 'I don't know, I just want to know how you think I would be as somebody's boyfriend.'

'Well, Drew haven't you ever had a girlfriend before? You should be able to answer that one on your own.' Hilda told me listlessly.

'Of course, I've had a girlfriend before. _Plenty_ to be exact.' I responded, lying through my teeth. I mean, it's true that I've been in a few relationships here and there, but never any serious ones. Therefore, I hardly consider those girls to be 'girlfriends' at all, but I wasn't going to tell _Hilda_ that.

Hilda calmly shook her head. 'Drew, calm down. You don't have to prove anything to me, but judging by your question this must be about May, right?' Hilda assumed as she began correcting my paper again.

I cocked an eyebrow at her in dismay. 'And what makes you say that?' I asked her defensively prior to Hilda slamming her pen down against the coffee table.

'Because it's _always_ about May, Drew. I swear if you like the girl, then just tell her already.' She groaned in aggravation as I looked at her suspiciously.

'Why you always gotta be assuming it's about May, huh? I could be talking about any other girl in this city.'

'Yeah, like who?' Hilda abruptly interrogated.

'Like-' I quickly bit my tongue. That was literally a mistake just waiting to happen. Hilda stared at me incredulously before shaking her head again, and staring back down at my paper. The inaudible silence had then once again approached, but more awkwardly than the last time. I couldn't tell what Hilda was thinking, but by me refusing to talk must of had her confirming her assumptions even more. I wasn't making this any easier on her _or_ myself, and saying I was confused was only an understatement. At this point, I didn't know how I felt about _anyone_ anymore. As the awkward silence continued, I was just about to say something else to Hilda when the distraction of someone knocking on the door disturbed me, and I furrowed my eyebrows in perplexity.

I hadn't been expecting any more company, and my dad had been home awhile ago. Even so, he wouldn't knock on his own door. Nonetheless, the knocking had proceeded, but more urgently than before. I carefully handed Cecelia over to Hilda as I stood up, and casually ambling towards the front door. I tried asking, 'Who is it?' but the person didn't respond, making me even more suspicious. I glanced back at Hilda to witness her faltering reaction, and she appeared just as confused as me; shrugging nonchalantly. Once I turned back towards the door, I hesitantly placed my hand onto the knob, turning it, and gradually beginning to open the door.

When I finally seen who it was, I was entirely surprised from what I saw. My eyebrows had raised, and my mouth fell open as I looked at her standing miserably on the porch. Her hair was all frizzy, her makeup was running, and dried up tears were seen all over her cheeks. I didn't even get the chance to speak before she ran into the house, and flinging her body onto mine as she hugged me tightly; starting to cry again it seemed like. My body stood stiff as I was reluctant about whether or not to hug her back. I hadn't the slightest idea what had her so flustered and upset, and even though I was mad at her, I couldn't just be rude, and shove her off of me.

She then began whispering in my ear telling me how she was happy to see me and that she only wanted to be with me right now. It was obvious something had made her so frantic, but _what_ was the question. Subsequently, I skeptically began maneuvering my arms to wrap gently around her body. Once I was securely holding her in my embrace, I could feel her grip on me get even tighter. As I had her nestled affectionately in my arms, and tenderly rubbing her back, I soon heard footsteps coming from behind us. I turned my head remotely to the side, and seeing Hilda walk up beside me. She had her bag on her shoulder, and an annoyed expression on her face as she spoke to me in a murmur.

'When you get your _girlfriend_ together, then we'll talk.' And with that, she trekked out of the house with the door still wide open; now on her way back to her house. I then quickly remembered Cecelia was still in the room, and glanced behind me to see her laying restfully on her back. Nonetheless, I had to get back over to her before she somehow rolled off of the couch. I gently removed May off of my body, and staring profoundly into her teary, sapphire eyes. I then grabbed her wrist, and calmly walked us over to the couch as I picked Cecelia back up, cradling her in my arms before allowing May and I to sit down where she promptly rested her head onto my shoulder. Indecisively, I wrapped my other arm around her, and pulling her in close; attempting to comfort her as best as I could.

I then quietly sighed to myself. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't stay angry at May for long. It's like she had this kind of hold on me that I couldn't get rid of or _wanted_ to get rid of for that matter. Even so, she needed me right now, so no matter what I was going to be there for her because when it comes down to it, I know she'd do the same for me.

_We were practically inseparable_.

* * *

_**Alright, so I gave y'all something entirely off than what most of you were probably expecting. At the end of Chapter Eleven, I left it on a cliffhanger with Brendan about to tell Norman about what's been going on between him and May, but instead of talking about that, Brendan was distracted from the sight of seeing Norman drunk, and continuously referring to a girl named, Sophie. **_

_**You guys are finally beginning to get an insight of why Norman acts the way he does with his harsh, brutal, and controlling ways, so I wanted to be subtle when describing the scene and give you guys a glimpse of it first before explaining it all at once. I want to see your thoughts, opinions, and predictions of why you think Norman may be so spiteful and strict towards May primarily, so tell me what you think. I also have a few questions (less than usual, so that's good, right? Lol) so I'd really love it if you'd answer them, but only if you want to. Thanks!**_

_**1. Okay, so it's obvious Norman once had a daughter named Sophie, but what do you think happened between them?**_

_**2. Why do think Norman wants to kill himself? Do you think that's just the liquor talking, or is Norman's drunken mind speaking a sober heart? (Basically meaning, now that he's drunk, is he just verbalizing his true thoughts and feelings?)**_

_**Then there was the final scene between Drew and May. Of course, I'm going to expand on it in the next chapter, but how many of you liked it? A little bit more ContestShipping I would say. May just unexpectedly knocks on Drew's door and hugs him, while at the same time continuing to cry. And once again, Drew can't find himself staying mad at her... Awe! ^.^**_

_**Author's Reply: April, I'll try to throw in as much comedy for you as I can when necessary, but don't get your hopes up, lol. It all depends on the scene and the situation at the time, but I'm glad you loved the chapter, and hopefully you liked this one too. :)**_

_**Singing Wolf, To explain, the reason why Drew was so upset with May for disrespecting his gift is not about whether he likes her or not. It's because Drew doesn't have that much money to begin with, so when he's spending the little ounce of money that he has for somebody else rather than using it towards his family and important needs like that, and then they just go tossing it around like it's a toy, he feels like they don't appreciate the selfless act he's made for them. Nonetheless, I do agree that Drew is being stubborn towards his feelings for May, and that's only because he's still in denial that a rich girl like May could fall for someone like him - a person who's not rich, and lives in a tiny, single family home.**_

_**AnimeFanGirl453, To be honest, I don't even know how I came up with this plot. It just came to me somehow, lol. Glad you love it, though. :)**_

_**Remember, I update EVERYDAY as long as I gain the needed number of REVIEWS I ask for, so the more of you that review, the quicker the chapter comes.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[8-10+ Reviews for Chapter Thirteen]**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Note: So I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to have occur in this chapter, so I hope you all like it. It's pretty much circulated around Norman, and there's a few characters in it that are just people I made up. They're not fictional or non-fictional characters. And with that being said, on with the chapter. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Thirteen | Thank you, Sophie.**_

The longer I continued to hold May in my arms, the more comfortable she became. It hadn't been long before her crying had ceased, and she calmly rested her head on my shoulder. Her breathing was steady and back to normal, but her body still trembled gently against mine, so evidently I knew she wasn't okay about what it is that was bothering her, yet. I wanted desperately to question her of why she was so upset, but I didn't want to pressure her into talking until she was truly fine enough to speak.

Nonetheless, as I held her warmly in my arms, I admit that I didn't want to moment to end. This was the closest May and I had ever been to each other, and the feeling I was experiencing inside of me had me looking at things in a whole new perspective. Here I was, fortunate enough to meet a girl as wonderful as May, and yet I keep pushing her away. However, it never takes long until she's back in my life again. Needless to say, I couldn't tell whether or not that was a good thing.

I then felt May's body move as she gradually leaned herself slightly off of me, and sedately looking into my eyes. Her stare was intense, and soon she faintly smiled before pushing herself off of me completely, and sitting beside me on the couch. May sat with her hands folded on top of her lap, and anxiously staring down at the floor. I leaned my back softly off of the couch, and adjusting Cecelia more restfully as I cradled her in my arms, and then looking back towards May.

I could tell she wanted to say something, but it was like every time she was about to, she'd quickly close her mouth deciding not to speak at all. I still didn't want May to feel pressured into teeling me anything, but her constant silence had me becoming even more desirable of whatever it is that recently happened to her. In no time at all, I tenderly grabbed her hand in mine, and rubbing it softly with my thumb.

She looked at me slightly surprised by the unexpected gesture, but abruptly admiring the feel of her hand in mine. May then sighed deeply, and looked at me again with a passionate grin. '...I know you're probably annoyed with me for coming here after everything that happened between us, so if you want me to leave, then I'll go. I know we weren't talking, but I sneaked out of the house, so I could come see you. I'm not really feeling my best right now, and needed someone like you to be with...' She declared, and for a minute I didn't say anything. Although it's true I wasn't my happiest when I seen May standing on my porch, that all changed when I saw the pitiful tears in her eyes.

At that moment, I was more concerned about comforting May rather than worrying about being angry with her. I soon noticed May beginning to stand up from the couch with the intentions of walking out, but I promptly grabbed a hold of her wrist as I sat her back down. I guess me taking awhile to respond had her believing she was right.

I calmly shook my head, no. '...I don't want you to leave, May. Yeah, it's true I was mad at you before - and there's no doubt in my mind I'll probably be mad at you again, but regardless, I'm here for you if you need me.' I reassured her, causing her to look away blushing.

'I guess it's my turn to give _you_ an apology now, huh?' May stated bashfully, but I wasn't going to let her do that. Since becoming friends with May, _I've_ been the main one persistently having to apologize for the way things have happened, and I was going to _continue_ being the one to apologize as long as May and I stay together because my father's always taught me to never let a woman apologize to you. As long as I can truly sense how sorry she is, then that's worth more than actually hearing her say the words. I know May regrets how things turned out between us, so an apology was unnecessary.

'You're fine, May. Let's just put the past behind us, and move on with each other from here.'

'Are you sure?' May asked me skeptically, and I briefly nodded my head. May may have me experiencing emotions I didn't normally have to deal with before I met her, and she may have me more confused about things than what's considered 'okay', but I guess all the more reason to continue being friends with her, right?

'Well in that case, thank you... I swear I didn't mean to disrespect you or your gift, Drew. I was just-'

'May, it's okay. Trust me, you don't have to say anything - just let it go.' I retorted more sternly. I could tell she still felt bad, but silently nodding her head, anyway. I already know May feels bad about what happened, but an apology is the least of my worries right now. There were more important things to worry about, and I wasn't going to let her leave until she told me what was wrong.

'You know... you still haven't told me why you were so upset before.' I uttered subtly.

May sighed. '...I get it Drew. You're waiting for an explanation, so I'll tell you. You deserve that much at least.' She stated, and I watched as she exhaled one final time prior to telling me the upsetting news.

'...Okay, my mother recently told me all of this from when my father told her, but I don't really know how to say this, so excuse me if I possibly start crying again.' May informed me.

'It's alright, take your time...' I told her, and she soon starting smiling at me. Then she said,

'A few years ago even before Max and I were born, my father was in a relationship prior to meeting our mother. At the time, he was with a woman named, Angela - a woman, who he loved very deeply; a woman, who he thought he'd be spending the rest of his life with. That is... until her murder.' May began telling with a low and eerie tone in her voice. My eyes were fixated on her the entire time as she stared down at the floor with her hands still folded, and slowly rocking back and forth on the couch. She had taken another deep breath, and soon started telling me more of her father's past.

'...They had been engaged to be married, and eventually having a child together a few months before their scheduled wedding. They had a daughter, who they agreed to name Sophie briefly after giving birth to her. My father loved Sophie more than anything in the world. She was the first child he ever had, but not too long after she turned five is when the sudden tragedy hit. Before meeting my father, Angela had been in an on and off relationship with a guy named Cameron, who she had known since college. Well, one day, she finally broke up with him... _for good_, and even though Cameron wasn't necessarily 'okay' with the idea, they remained friends even after the separation. However, as soon as Cameron found out Angela was in another relationship, his behavior and attitude started to change. When he found out she was soon with another man, engaged to be married, and having a baby together, he felt compelled to do something about it... something drastic. He still continued to act like good friends towards Angela, but only until a certain extent. By the time Sophie turned five, Cameron was already aware of what he was going to do.' May explained, and as she proceeded to talk, I could just sense the horror and pain currently coursing through her. She hadn't been crying, yet but I'm sure it was only a matter of time until she was.

'My dad hadn't been home at the time when Angela decided to invite Cameron over to the house to hang out, but _as_ he arrived home, he quickly acknowledged Angela, Cameron, and Sophie's dead bodies collapsed onto the floor of Sophie's bedroom, and an excessive amount of blood leaking from their corpses... Cameron had murdered them and himself leaving my father with nothing.' May gritted through her teeth, and beginning to ball up her fists. I was expecting her to be in tears by now, but she seemed more angry now than upset. Me on the other hand, I was speechless, but after gaining this information, everything about Norman started to make sense. That's when I heard May speak again.

'...Cameron had murdered Angela because he didn't want anybody else being with her if _he_ couldn't have her, and he killed Sophie, so my father wouldn't have anything dearly special from her anymore. He was a selfish, ignorant bastard, who deserves to rot in Hell for what's done to my father. Because of him, my father's emotionally scarred for life, and there's absolutely nothing he can do about it.' May responded gruesomely, and I calmly placed my hand onto her shoulder as she looked at me. Her eyes diligently wandered my face until she blinked a few times before finally closing them shut, allowing the tears of heartache to roll down her cheeks. I adjusted Cecelia in my arms again, and then pulling May closer to me as she cried on my chest.

With everything May's told me, there could've been a lot of reasons for why she's upset. She could be upset because of the unfortunate mishap that happened to her father years ago, or she could be upset because some man just senselessly took away a young girls life for his own selfish purposes. I mean if it were me, I know that's what _I_ would be mad about. I can't even begin to imagine what I'd do if someone carelessly took my mother's and Cecelia's lives away from me and my father, but if I had to guess, I'd probably go crazy. As May continued to cry, I decided I try speaking to her about my thoughts on the situation.

'You know May, the misfortune that happened to Sophie might be why your dad is the way he is towards you.' I informed her. May looked up at me as she wiped some of her tears away.

'What... What do you mean?'

'I mean, that he's probably so protective of you because he doesn't want something like what happened to Sophie possibly happening to you, and when you think about it, it actually makes sense. He likes to know where you are and who you're with because he likes to know that you're safe... He only wants you around good influences, so you don't get dragged into the wrong kind of crowd... And he probably doesn't want you having a boyfriend, yet possibly because of the way Cameron was. You know, obsessive and delusional.' I replied, causing May to giggle.

'You're probably right, but if that _is_ the case, my father needs to realize that I'm seventeen years old now, so I'm smart enough to know right from wrong. Besides, not every guy in the world is exactly like how Cameron was, and I'm sure if he wasn't so single-minded, he would've realized that about you...' May remarked with a passionate smirk. I could feel my cheeks beginning to blush as I briskly turned my head away. It wasn't in my nature to let a girl see me blush. I then heard May chuckle as she stood up from the couch, walking towards the front door. I soon got up after her, and following her as she was finally preparing to leave.

May opened the door, and stepped out onto the porch, but turning around to face me one more time prior to saying, goodbye. 'Thank you, Drew... I really appreciate you talking to and comforting me during the time I really needed it, and don't worry... my father's just going to have to grow to like you because there's no way he's going to get me to stay away from you.' She stated, and softly kissing my cheek. She then smiled one last time affectionately, and ambling down the steps as she trekked the rest of the way back to her house. For awhile, I stood in the doorway completely stiff and stunned by what had just occurred. I could still feel the touch of May's lips on my cheek even after the fact.

Subsequently, though I closed the front door back, and leaning up against it as Cecelia curiously gazed up at me with her finger in her mouth. That's when I noticed my mother standing on the stairs with her arms crossed and a prudent smirk on her face, and I soon found myself blushing again from embarrassment. I listened unwillingly as my mother taunted me.

'Now what was that thing you told me earlier? Oh that's right, how you don't love May, and you never will love May. Well, judging by that kiss she just gave you, I'd say she's got you love struck.' My mother teased me ludicrously.

'Aren't you supposed to be sick right now?' I argued bashfully.

'Hey, don't get mad at me because your girlfriend made you blush.' My mother winked, and walking back up the stairs; discreetly giggling to herself. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, and held Cecelia up in front of my face as I spoke to her.

'Cece, promise me when you're old enough to date that you'll never let mommy see you kiss any other guy but me, okay?' I conveyed, and watching her as she stared into my eyes innocently. I then kissed her lips, and taking her up to our parents' bedroom. Tonight just felt like a good night to mess with my mother.

* * *

I could barely sleep last night as I couldn't stop thinking about my father, and everything Drew said to me yesterday. I hate knowing my father's first child died because of somebody's selfish reasons, and now he can't stand to let the same thing possibly happen to me. I didn't want to think about it, but every time I tried not to, it wasn't long until I was thinking about it again. However, when I _wasn't_ thinking about it, my mind was busy reminiscing about what happened between Drew and I last night. I admired the way he comforted me even after the way I treated him just a few days ago, and then there was the kiss.

It was only a harmless... simple kiss on the cheek, but I hoped it didn't change anything between us. I didn't mean for the kiss to jeopardize our friendship, or for Drew to feel weird around me neither. I mean, he's somebody I've needed in my life for a long time. Someone to tell me it's going to be okay. Somebody to make me laugh when I'm feeling worthless, and somebody who's going to tell me the truth regardless of my feelings. Of course, I have my mother for all of that, but that's the thing. With her being my mom, I feel like she's compelled to say those things. Having someone like Drew on the other hand is more genuine in my eyes. He's a person I haven't known long, he understands my situation, and he doesn't judge me for it. Needless to say, it's probably only that way because Drew's life isn't so great either. I support him, and supports me.

He's literally like... my other half.

As I continued to lay in my bed thinking about... everything basically, I could soon see my bedroom door opening. I promptly sat up, and gazing at Brendan as he walked in with a tray of food in his hands. I smiled sweetly at him, and watching as he set the tray down onto my nightstand prior to sitting on the edge of my bed. At first he just stared at me, and then he smiled tenderly. I seen he had his school uniform on, but I wasn't going to school today. My mom agreed to let Max and I stay home today just this once after everything that happened with our father yesterday, so my plan was basically to stay in bed all day. Not too long after before Brendan finally spoke.

'You know uhm, I came into your room last night after your mom told me that's where you were to see if you were okay, but... you weren't here.'

I awkwardly bit my bottom lip. 'Yeah, I kind of... sneaked out for some... fresh air, that's all.' I lied horribly. No matter what, lying will never be one of my strong points. Brendan's gaze soon fell from mine, and he gradually nodded his head. I could tell he didn't believe me, but didn't want to annoy me with questions either, so he simply left the subject alone.

'May, I know seeing your dad like that really must've upset you, but I want you to know that I'm here for you too if you ever want to talk. I can be just as great of a listener as Drew.' Brendan stated, and standing up from my bed. I quickly raised my eyebrows from the mention of Drew's name.

'Anyway, I decided I'd make you some breakfast before heading to school since your mom is still asleep after looking after your dad all night. There's actually enough down there for everyone, but I sensed you were the only one awake, so I brought yours up to you.' Brendan explained, and laying the tray across my lap.

I glared down at the pancakes, eggs, and bacon before silently glancing back up towards Brendan again. Neither of us said anything as he just pursed his lips together, and calmly walking out of my room with a tense expression on his face. I sighed feebly to myself as I smashed my head back onto my pillow. It was obvious Brendan had a crush on me, and it honestly had me feeling guilty. He's been so nice, and doing so much for me especially when it came to my father, and yet I've been spending so much time either alone or... with Drew. It's not that I didn't like Brendan, but I don't like him as anything more than a friend; at least, not yet. I'm still just getting to know him after all.

Sure, we laugh and talk with each other, he drives me to school, and does other thoughtful things for me, but I still don't know enough about _him_. When Drew and I first met, he abruptly and willingly opened up to me about his family and financial problems, and eventually I did the same to him about me and my abusive father. I feel as though Brendan's just trying too hard to impress me, and he feels as though he has to compete with Drew to get my attention when in reality all he had to do is be mellow and sincere with me. Besides telling me about his deceased mother, I sense there's still so much he's not letting me in on. He's says he wants me to trust him, but I don't even think he trusts _me_, yet.

Anywho, a few hours had came and gone with it now being about one o'clock in the afternoon, and I had been washing the dishes when my mother walked into the kitchen. She seemed pretty frantic and nervous about something as she paced aimlessly around the kitchen. I grabbed a dishrag to dry my hands with, and looking at her in perplexity with an eyebrow raised. Then I asked her,

'Uh mom, is everything okay? You seem a little... stressed.' I uttered vaguely. Once she turned around to look at me, she immediately panicked.

'May, what are you still doing in your pajamas!? You haven't gotten dressed, yet!?' She exclaimed in a frenzy.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion completely misunderstanding the situation. 'Oh, is the Queen coming? I'm sorry, I didn't get the memo.' I replied sarcastically, disregarding my mother's comment.

She rolled her eyes. 'May, I'm serious. Norman's aunt and uncle are coming over, and they should be arriving here any minute now.' My mother declared, putting her hands on her hips.

'I don't see what the big deal is. What, are they going to judge me if I show up in my pajamas?' I inquired sneeringly.

'May, this will be the first time you meet either one of them. The least you could do is look presentable. Max got dressed up, so why can't you?' My mother inquired.

'Well good for him, but if you hadn't noticed, I'm not Max.' I stated bitterly just as the doorbell rang.

'Oh, that must be them! Fine, never mind about getting dressed just come with me to greet them!' My mother demanded, and swiftly walking out of the kitchen. I followed behind her until we reached the front door, and soon having Max come down the stairs as well. We were both standing next to each other as our mother said one more thing to us before answering the door.

'Alright you two, these are Norman's family members, and I've invited them over, so we could meet. Norman doesn't know about them coming which is why they're not staying here. Regardless, I want you two on your best behavior. Understand?' Our mother warned us, and we simply nodded our heads. Once she finally opened the door, a fairly old couple stood in the doorway - one with a huge grin on their face, while the other with a scowl. My mother quickly invited them in, and closing the door behind them as they stood in front of Max and I; studying our appearances.

'So these our my nephew's kids, huh? They look just like him!' A woman stated happily, and quickly hugging Max and I as she kissed our cheeks. That's when our mother stepped up.

'May... Max, this is your great aunt Lynn and your great uncle Bruce. They're Norman's aunt and uncle.' Our mother informed us, and I then realized this must've been, who my mother was talking to on the phone a few days ago.

'It's so good to finally meet you both. Norman's been keeping us away from you, but luckily your mother got in touch with us when she did.' Lynn told us as we all congregated to the living room.

'Is that really a good thing?' I queried firmly. My mother and great aunt Lynn exchanged stunned looks with each other.

'Uh, what do you mean, honey?' Lynn questioned me.

'Well, you said, my father's been keeping us away from you. I'm pretty sure he had a reason for that.' I retorted harshly.

'Oh no, sweetie. There's a lot you don't understand, but your father keeping you away from us is not what you may think.' Lynn replied, and I soon shifted my attention to my great uncle Bruce. He hadn't said anything since stepping foot into the house, and I found that rather suspicious.

'And what about you, huh?' I interrogated, referring to Bruce. He looked at me with full animosity, but still refusing to say anything.

Lynn soon cleared her throat. 'Uhm, where _is_ Norman, by the way?'

'Oh, he's still asleep. He had a rough night yesterday.' My mother explained subtly.

'How is it that our father is so close to you guys, anyway?' Max finally spoke, and I wanted to know the same thing. There had to be a real reason for our mother inviting them over besides us just meeting them, so let's just get to the point.

'Uh well, your great uncle Bruce and I raised your father when he was just a child.' Lynn informed us. Max and I looked at each other in confusion before staring back at Lynn.

'Wait, you guys raised him? What happened to his parents?' I asked in bewilderment.

'You see, Norman's mother unfortunately died shortly after giving birth to him, and his father was never in his life, so Bruce and I raised him until he was old enough to move out on his own.'

'Then you guys must know why he can be very spiteful and brutal towards people, right?' I wondered curiously. Lynn promptly looked towards her husband, but he had been looking in the opposite direction still refusing to say anything. By his lack of communication, I had a feeling he was the reason for everything my father was. Something about him just screamed distrust, and I was determined to learn more about my father's past if it was the last thing I did. I had a lot more questions for him, and I was not going to stop until every single one of them were answered.

'Hey, just curious, but is there any particular reason why you're choosing not to speak?' I asked my great uncle as I crossed my arms. He didn't turn his head all of the way to look at me, but instead narrowed his eyes in my direction that displayed nothing but hatred and frustration. Nonetheless, I was not going to let this matter go unsolved.

I scoffed. 'Hm, you know what I think? I think you're choosing not to say anything because you feel guilty. You're exactly why my father is so mean and harsh and brutal towards people, and now you don't want to say anything because the truth has finally come out. You probably brainwashed him into thinking this is how a man is supposed to act in order to get what he wants. Am I right, great uncle Bruce?' I queried sternly, but he still didn't say anything.

I shook my head shamefully. 'That's alright, you don't have to say anything because now I know who to blame, and I bet you don't even feel the slightest bit remorseful either. You should feel ashamed of yourself, but instead I'm sure you feel pretty damn proud right about now... You're pathetic-'

'Will you shut the hell up already!? Damn, is this how you were raised - to disrespect your elders!? Yeah, I raised your father, and I raised him into the man he's supposed to be! The man in charge; the dominate one; the figure head; the go-to person - everything! Back when Norman was a kid, he was nothing but a spineless coward, who was too nice and afraid of everything! He needed to learn to take action, and how to deal with the important things in life like money and education because without that, you're bound to live a miserable, lowdown life! I mean, look at him now! He's rich, has a well-paying job, and is married with two kids! He may be harsh when he needs to be, but better harsh and rich than fragile and living on the streets! Because of me, your father now has everything a man could ever wish for, and I bet if you just stop being a sassy, unappreciative brat and do what your father expects of you, you wouldn't get hit all the time! Now tell me, have you ever considered that!?' Bruce yelled in his husky, dry voice.

Everybody in the room was speechless. I could feel all eyes on me, but the only person my focus remained on was Bruce. There was no doubt in my mind now that he was the one, who made my father into the abusive man that he is. Bruce was short tempered, loud, aggressive, and irrational just like my father. He spoke about money and education just like my father always does to me, and I'm sure if he had the right, he would've put his hands on me by now too. At this point, I wasn't even sure whether or not my father would want them here if he _did_ know because even I don't want them here anymore. My mother invited these people over for unnecessary purposes because to tell the truth, even though by them showing up I got to learn more about my father and his childhood, I still would've done better off not meeting them at all.

I glared at my mother to witness her reaction which displayed nothing but embarrassment. Lynn, who looked awkwardly uncomfortable, and Bruce, who quickly went back to keeping quiet. I then felt a sudden touch on my hand. I looked down to see Max's hand rested on top of mine, and observing the warmly smile on his face. No matter how I acted out, Max was never going to think any less of me. I then grabbed his hand, stood up from the couch, and silently exiting the living room with Max right behind me. There was only one man I wanted to see right now, and that was my father.

* * *

As I laid in bed, all I could hear was a faint whispering in my head. The voice sounded all too familiar as it sent chills down my spine. They spoke to me with a low and soothing tone in their voice that had my heart skipping a beat every time they said the word... _Daddy_. The more they talked, the more recognizable their voice became to me. I soon felt a frigid chill whip across my skin, and immediately jumping out of my sleep. My breathing was heavy and irregular as the situation seemed inevitable. I glanced wondrously around the room until all of a sudden, a vivid sight of something close by exposed itself out in front of me. I furrowed my eyebrows in perplexity and disbelief from the possibility of seeing my daughter sitting right here on my bed.

She sat with her legs folded, and a warm and gentle smirk on her face. Her long golden blonde hair that resembled her mother's, and staring at me with those navy blue eyes that matched mine to a tee. Her skin looked flawless if that's even possible to say, and her voice still sounded like how I had last remembered it. I slowly and cautiously got from underneath the blankets, and crawling across the bed reaching out to touch her, but as expected my hand went right through her. I then took another minute to examine her again before finally deciding to speak.

'S-Sophie... is... is that really you?'

She excitedly nodded her head. 'Yes, it's me! Hi, daddy!' She responded gleefully still having her five year old lisp.

'Well, what... what are you doing here?'

'I came to tell you secret...' She whispered, cupping one of her hands around her mouth.

'What? What is it?' I asked her anxiously.

'I wanted to say that I love you daddy, and... you don't have to be scared anymore.' Sophie retorted, shaking her head as I looked at her in complete awe.

'I may be gone, but you still have May... your other daughter, and I know that she loves you a lot too.' Sophie stated, and I was almost uncertain of what to say next.

'I... I know that, sweetie but-'

'No buts! May nice girl too, so don't worry, be happy!' Sophie bellowed enthusiastically, and it was pretty obvious what she was trying to tell me. That's when I noticed Sophie's body beginning to fade, and I briskly widened my eyes.

'Wait, where are you going Sophie!?' I questioned frantically.

'I have to go now daddy... your family's waiting for you, but never forget... I'll always love you.' She spoke to me, while waving her hand as she continued to disappear. Soon, all I could feel was the vague sensation of someone shaking me, and the word _Dad_ echoing loudly in my head. When I realized what was happening, my eyes instantly shot opened, and the first thing I saw was the sight of my kids looking down on me. I calmly sat up, holding my forehead, and gazing to my left at May and Max as I observed the concerned looks on their faces. I guess the whole thing with Sophie was... just a dream.

'Dad, are you okay?' May asked me worriedly.

I hesitantly nodded my head. 'Y-Yeah, I'm alright.'

'We were trying to wake you up, but May wasn't shaking you hard enough.' Max told me in annoyance.

'Shut up, Max. He's up now, so give me credit for something.' May argued back.

'You should've just let me wake him. I would've done a better job than you.'

'Does it matter?'

'_Yes_, maybe next time you'll listen instead of being so bossy.'

'I am _not_ bossy! With your stubby arms, you'd be lucky enough to wake up anything!'

'Shut up!'

'Make me!'

'Alright, that's enough!' I hollered boisterously quickly gaining their attention as they looked at me startlingly. I then took a deep breath, remembering what Sophie said, and graciously pulling the both of them into a hug. They seemed surprised by the gesture at first since I don't usually hug them - sad to say, but soon hugging me back as they rested their heads onto my shoulders. All this time I thought I was being the man that my uncle always wanted me to be, but instead I was more of the man _he's_ always wanted to be. After the embrace, I let May and Max get into my bed as they laid on either side of me. It was moments like this that I missed doing with my first child, but now I had two more to fill in that missing void.

I then stared down at May as she looked up me from the mention of me calling her name. 'Yeah, dad?' She asked me casually.

I took a deep breath as I prepared myself for what I was about to say because I wanted to make sure this truly came from the bottom of my heart. '...I'm... sorry. I'm sorry for all the years I've caused you physical and emotional pain... I'm sorry for all the times I brutally beat on you, and made you feel so worthless that you even thought of killing yourself... And I'm sorry for never being the father you've always dreamed of. I thought I had to act a certain way and do certain things to make things exactly how I wanted, but I understand now that I was doing it in all the wrong ways... You, Max, and your mother mean everything to me, and from now on I'm going to start showing you just what I mean because... I love you.'

May smiled at me tenderly, and soon kissing my cheek. 'We love you too dad, and trust me, I completely understand everything about you now. You don't have to prove anything to me because I know how much of a great man you really are without a doubt.' She told me benevolently, and hugging me again along with Max as I kissed the tops of their foreheads. I may not have had my old family anymore, but I wouldn't trade this family right here for anything in the world.

_Thank you, Sophie..._

* * *

_**Alright, so I don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm actually really proud of this chapter. A lot has happened, and you guys finally understand now why Norman is or was the way he used to be. It's basically because of the way he was raised, but because of Sophie he's now putting the past behind him, and moving forward with his life. He's not going to let past experiences interfere with his life or family anymore, and with that being said, him and May can now have that father-daughter bond she's always wanted. May will now be able to have a lot more freedom, and do the things most teenage girls like to do without her father pestering her about her whereabouts and who she's with. Basically, her life is more like Misty and Dawn's now.**_

_**And with the relationship with her father now fixed, the story is only going to focus on Brendan, Drew, and May from now on. However, I don't plan for this story to continue on much further, but once this story is done, I'm surely going to begin writing another one if most or any of you care. I'm actually already thinking of ideas for another AU Pokémon related story, but I don't know yet who the characters or the shipping for it will be. But if I do go through with this, you guys will find out about it soon enough. I've even been thinking of telling you guys some of the ideas I've come up with so far, but I'm still not sure...**_

_**Also, to speak more of the entire Sophie situation, the idea came to me from a show I used to watch. I hate that there's really people in the world like that, but unfortunately there are - a mate killing their ex after they break up basically meaning, if I can't have them, then nobody can. It's so sad... and stupid, but that's just how some people are I guess. The point is, I hope everything about that and the explanation about Norman from his aunt and uncle made sense too. It kind of confused me talking about great aunts and uncles, but hopefully nothing about it was too confusing.**_

_**Anyway, let's talk about the other things that happened in the chapter. I don't really have questions, but more like topics I liked to see you guys tell me about if you don't mind. :)**_

_**1. The moment between May and Drew. (Did anybody notice how in the last chapter Drew said, 'We're practically inseparable' and in this chapter May said, 'He's literally like... my other half'? I know I wrote it, but I still can't handle how cute they are)**_

_**2. Leanne teasing Drew about May.**_

_**3. May's confession about Brendan.**_

_**4. Norman's uncle Bruce.**_

_**5. Norman's dream with Sophie.**_

_**6. Norman and May's closure.**_

_**If you guys have any questions about something, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be more than willing to explain anything the best way I can, and just get ready for Chapter Fourteen. ;)**_

_**READ, IMPORTANT INFO:**_

_**So, I've recently made up my mind that I'm going to pause this story for awhile primarily because I want to really start to think of what else I want to happen in it, and how I'm going to end it since this story will be finished soon. I haven't been gaining as many reviews as I usually do anyway, so this break may not be so bad. That's basically why I took so long to post this chapter because I've been trying to wait to see if I'd gain a few more reviews for the last chapter, but then I just decided to post anyway because Chapter Thirteen has been done for awhile, so I didn't want to leave y'all hanging for too much longer.**_

_**Sorry if this may upset some of you because I know how much you guys love the story, and I'm especially sorry to people who just caught up with all of the chapters, and now have to wait for awhile until they can read anymore. But I really, really hope you guys will still be into reading it once I begin to post again. I don't think it'll be a really long break, just as long as necessary, so bare with me, please. This is the very first story that I've ever written and posted for people to read, and I'm glad you guys love it so much which is why I want it to be as good as possible.**_

_**I write because and for you guys, so if you guys ever get bored of the story, I won't hesitate to delete it, and start fresh again with another story, and this goes for any story in the future I happen to write, but hopefully it won't come down to that.**_

_**Hopefully during this break I'll gain a lot more reviews, but regardless, just prepare for what's about to happen. Also, I would love to read the thoughts and opinions of the people, who don't normally review... or review at all, but no pressure. If you don't want to review, then you don't have to. I appreciate all of you deeply, and thank you so much to everybody that reads, reviews, and enjoys the story. It really means a lot to me! 3**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[As many Reviews as possible for Chapter Fourteen]**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Note: Hi, I'm back guys, so read, REVIEW, and enjoy! :)**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Fourteen | Money Can't Buy Happiness.**_

The frustration building up inside of me was getting more and more intense as the day went on. May was literally beginning to get on my nerves. I didn't want it to admit it, but it's true. I've been breaking my back trying to prove to her how much of a better guy I would be for her than Drew, but yet she always finds herself ignoring my pleads, and going after him, anyway. I mean, I didn't understand what was so special about Drew in the first place. My dad may have gone bankrupt, resulting in us losing our home and other precious valuables, but even so I still had more money than he could make in his entire life. I'm with May all the time now, doing this and that for her, but she's still not giving me anything back. I'm tired of the friendly gestures and subtle conversations. I deserve to have a girl as great as May, but she's making this harder than it needs to be. Needless to say, I'm always up for a challenge, and May is _definitely_ a challenge.

She's playing hard to get, and slowly but surely having me lose faith of ever being with her because she's giving all of her attention towards Drew, but I refuse to give up. Sooner or later, May will come to her senses, and see what a great boyfriend I would be even if I have to get rid of Drew myself. I've gotten rid of him once before, and I could do it again if I have to. Regardless, hopefully what I said to May this morning got her thinking because all of this special treatment and excessive attention I'm giving her will stop in a heartbeat if she continues to push me to the side just so she can be with a guy, who doesn't even have the proper expenses to take care of her, and speaking of which I've been seeing Drew's face all day through the halls, and when he'd stare at me during the very few classes we have together.

The look he would give me appeared tense and bothered, so evidently I knew there was something on his mind that he wanted to talk to me about, and it was only a matter of time before he did. Our grade had been in lunch right now, and I was currently sitting at a table by myself as I waited for my other friends to show up. While I proceeded to casually eat the cheeseburger I bought for lunch, I felt the sudden presence of someone walking up to me. I didn't have to look up to know who it was, but when I did, I seen he wasn't alone. He stood up straight with his arms to the side, and his fists balled up. His green eyes were piercing into mine, and his breathing was slow, deep, and steady. I gazed at all three of them in curiosity as I cocked an eyebrow, and soon chuckling to myself as I set my food back down onto my tray; taking a calm sip from my bottle before even attempting to react to the unexpected approach.

I smoothly folded my palms together as I stared at Drew standing in front of me, and sighing in annoyance. '...Is there something I can help you with?' I queried sneeringly.

Drew immediately leaned his upper body weight onto the table as he leaned on his hands. 'C'mon Brendan, don't choose now to act like the brainless fool that you are because we both know why I'm here talking to you right now.'

I shrugged carelessly. 'Let me guess... May, right? Well, you're wasting your time because nothing you do or say will change anything even with your lame ass back-up team.' I stated, referring to Ash and Paul standing behind him. Drew momentarily glared back at them, and then back towards me as he finally took a seat across from me.

'They're not my back-up team, nor would I need one.' Drew gritted through his teeth.

'Well, they must be here for a reason, right? Otherwise you'd approach me by yourself like the big, strong man you claim you are. What, are you scared I'll beat you up just like I did before?' I retorted tauntingly with a cunning smirking, and glancing at Paul, who obviously wanted to hop across the table and attack me which I'm sure he would've done by now if it weren't for Ash holding him back.

Drew stared at me with animosity, and vaguely turning around as he gestured for Ash and Paul to leave. For a moment, they seemed unwilling, but eventually leaving Drew and I to speak in private. Once they were out of hearing range, Drew faced me again with irritation _and_ agitation masking over his face. Nonetheless, it only made me _more_ satisfied because it was obvious I was getting to him.

'Hm, I guess you have some balls after all, but if you were really a man you would've walked over here by yourself from the start.' I uttered provokingly.

'Cut the canny shit Brendan because I'm not just gonna sit around, and let you fool and manipulate May anymore.'

'What the hell are you talking about?'

'You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. You know the only reason why you even want to date May so badly is to piss me off because I'm sure May was the furthest thing from your mind until her father forcibly paired you two together. There are so many girls you could be with, and yet you still go after the ones I like.' Drew replied exasperatedly.

I looked at him in disbelief, but soon grinning to myself. There was no way I was going to let him get the best of me. 'Oh, so you admit that you _do_ like May... you know, as more than a friend?'

'What? N-No, I didn't mean it like that. May and I are just friends.' Drew pleaded skeptically.

'Well, if you guys are 'just friends', then technically I'm not doing nothing wrong. I like May... a lot therefore, I have the right to prove to her just how _much_ I like her. And I may have only met May through her father, but that's more than you can say, right? Her father doesn't even like you. You've only known May for like a week or two, anyway and yet you still haven't taken her anywhere. May's honestly wasting her time on you, and eventually she'll figure that one out on her own. You guys may be friends now, but give it some time because once I'm with May, I'll be having her saying, 'Drew, who?' before you know it - you just wait. Besides, why would May want to be with someone, who not only can't afford to take her out on a date, but also can't even admit to liking her as more than a friend? Face it man, you'll never be anything but second rate. May may like you now, but for how long? She can do so much better than you, and it's only a matter of time until she realizes that. So enjoy the friendship you have with her now because 'Drew and May' will not be together much longer... _trust me_.' And with that, I left Drew at the table by himself to sulk. However, I hadn't been too far away from the table, yet to hear the very last thing he said.

'Maybe he's right... What's the point of even trying anymore?'

After hearing that comment, I smiled satisfyingly to myself. I was slowly and carefully breaking Drew's confidence which means it wasn't going to be much longer until he was out of the way once and for all. Drew couldn't even defend himself against the things I said to him about May which is only more proof that he doesn't deserve to be with her.

* * *

I glared into the full length body mirror in my bedroom, and examining my appearance as I stared at my figure. I lifted my shirt up, exposing my stomach, and studying all of the recent and permanent scars and bruises I've received over the years. My father and I may finally have an understanding of each other now, but that's still not going to make the years of beatings and self harm go away. Because of that, I never like to reveal the obvious marks that my father's given to me whenever I'm out in public. Unless I'm home, I normally wear long sleeve shirts and jackets when I'm anywhere away from home. Just looking at the many blemishes sometimes brings tears to my eyes whenever I'm alone, but this time I wasn't. Dawn and Misty had been in my room with me, but I was never nervous around them when it came to looking at my bruises and scratches.

They had sneaked over to my house after telling their parents they were staying after school to study since technically they were still on punishment. They both hated seeing me so depressed when looking at my scars, but it's not like I ever listen to them when they tell me not to. My father may have apologized for everything he's put me through during my years of growing up, but even though I could forgive him... I could never forget. The room had been inaudible all while I spent the time gawking at myself, but it hadn't been long before Dawn eventually broke the silence with a complaint.

'May, you know we hate seeing you like this, so why don't you just stop it already? You fixed the relationship with your dad, so what's the problem?'

I pulled my shirt back down as I turned around towards Dawn and Misty, lounging casually on my bed. I shook my head shamefully. '...You guys don't understand. You don't know what it's like to grow up with an abusive parent, who you thought was supposed to love you unconditionally.'

'But your dad _does_ love you, May. He's always have.' Misty stated as I vaguely doubted her logic. My father used to tell me that all the time, and yet he never had a problem torturing me and seeing me cry. Needless to say, I'm glad the abuse is finally over, but it's still too surreal to believe right now.

'Your dad was an ass, May there's no doubt about that, but he's seen the error of his ways now. Can't you just move on, and forget about it? You guys can finally start fresh now.' Dawn retorted, but her and Misty's nonchalant attitude about the situation was only making me more frustrated. Until they get a taste of the brutal, harsh, and wild side of life like what me, Margaret, the homeless, and even Drew have or had to deal with, then they'll never quite understand - _nobody_ will understand. I briefly gazed at the two friends in front of me before quietly exiting my room. This entire predicament was making me mad, and they weren't making it any better for me. I calmly trekked through the hallway, and halfway down the stairs on my way to the kitchen with the intentions of getting something to drink, but I was immediately stopped dead in my tracks from the sound of two voices, and my name frequently being mentioned.

I slyly peeked behind the wall on the stairs that overlooked the living room, and quickly spotting Brendan sitting on the couches with one other person I couldn't make out. Their attention had been fixated on their cell phones, but still managing to keep a solid discussion going on between them. With the mention of my name, I quietly and nosily eavesdropped on the rest of their conversation.

'You know, I still can't believe you and May haven't slept together, yet.' The unknown guy voiced, who had messy brown hair with chocolate brown eyes to match.

Brendan exhaled in annoyance. '...Why?'

'Because you're a player, and that's what players do. What, don't tell me you've gone soft, and you actually like this chick?' Brendan's friend responded, while Brendan rolled his eyes. I briskly furrowed my eyebrows from the thought of Brendan being a player, but still proceeding to hear what else they had to say.

'And so what if I do? We can't be players forever Nate, and I'm sure when you find that one girl, who you never want to leave, then you'll understand.'

Nate scoffed senselessly. 'Man, please. You sounding like a straight wuss right now, but I still feel like you're wasting your time with this one. If you're gonna choose to chase after a girl, then at least let it be one, who isn't already in love with another guy.' He declared as Brendan sighed in aggravation.

'...I know, but it's not like it's May's fault. As long as Drew is still in the picture, then she's going to keep running back to him; believing he's the guy, who's going to 'sweep her off her feet' when in reality he's _not_. The guy can't even tell whether or not he likes her as more than a friend, so what's that tell you? I'm just gonna stick around long enough for May to realize, who she really belongs with because if not - well, then...' Brendan conveyed doubtfully with a shrug as his voice trailed off. Nate shook his head shamefully, and for a brief moment, the talking had ceased.

I slowly and quietly backed away from the wall, and my thoughts and emotions skyrocketing inside of me. I was breathless; I didn't know what to think, how to feel, or what to say. I didn't even know Nate, and yet he was more aware of Drew's feelings for me than I was, but I'm sure Brendan had to be the reason why. At this point, I forgot about ever going to get something to drink, nor did I want anything anymore, anyway. I walked back up the rest of the stairs, and down the corridor to my bedroom. When I stepped inside, Dawn and Misty had been watching T.V. as they waited patiently for me to return. I sluggishly closed the door behind me, and ambling over towards the foot of my bed where I sat, and staring down at my hands skeptically. All I could think about now was Drew, the kiss, and where our friendship would go from here.

Dawn and Misty looked at me worriedly and curiously considering I hadn't spoken one word to them or said anything since coming back into the room. They interchanged baffled looks with each other, and awkwardly wondering what either of them should say. I soon lifted my head up, narrowing my eyes between the both of them, but eventually keeping my focus on Dawn. Acknowledging my fixated stare, Dawn cocked an eyebrow intrusively. I then looked back down towards my hands as I asked her a serious question.

'Dawn, how do you feel about... me and Drew?'

* * *

The scene in front of me was unspeakable. I stood with my mouth agape, and my eyebrows furrowed as I acknowledged a police car parked in front my parent's house. I had been just a few blocks away, coming home from school when I noticed the flashing lights, and the closer I got, the sooner I could see that our front door was wide open. As I walked up the sidewalk to our house, I briefly realized my dad's car had been parked in the driveway. Normally he'd be at work at this time, and not returning until later in the evening. I took a shortcut through the grass until I reached the porch, and peeking inside into the living room to see my mother and father talking to two police officers with my father embracing my mother as she cried onto his shoulder.

She had been entirely distraught by whatever had occurred, and eventually I had been curious as to what happened, and where the hell Cecelia was. Hopefully whatever the police were here for had nothing to do with her. I slowly and cautiously stepped further into the house, and quickly gaining the attention of my father as he was the first one to see me, causing the officers to glance behind them in my direction. I looked at them both suspiciously as I tossed my backpack down to a random corner in the room, and looking back at my parents. In no time, my mother abruptly ran up to me as she pulled me into a hug with my face being mushed onto her breasts. Once she finally backed away, she lightly kissed my cheek, and placing her hands on my shoulders.

She glared at me despairingly, and I finally decided to question her. 'Mom, what's going on here?'

My mother looked up towards my father before answering my query. 'Uh, Drew honey... I'm sorry to tell you this, but...' My mother struggled speaking as her eyes began to tear up again. I stared at her worriedly, and soon seeing my father softly place his hand onto my mother's shoulder. I glanced at him in bewilderment.

'What your mother is trying to tell you is that we were robbed, Drew.' My father informed me sternly.

I looked at him in disbelief as my eyebrows raised. 'R-Robbed?' I repeated questioningly. I then glanced past him and my mother into the rest of our living room, and not noticing anything out of the ordinary, so... what did the robbers steal?

'We were robbed of most of yours and your mother's jewelry and almost all of my watches.' My father told me realizing my confused expression. However, his explanation only made me more confused.

'Wait, _my_ jewelry? But I don't have any-' I suddenly stopped my sentence when I came to the realization of what 'jewelry' of mine my father was referring to. Immediately, I ripped my way out of my mother's grip, and running past the officers up the stairs to my bedroom. I burst through the door, and frantically scanning around the room until my eyes eventually landed on my dresser. I anxiously ran up to it, and opened the top drawer where I kept _it_ at, but there was nothing inside except a lot of empty space. The box where I stashed the necklace I had previously given to May for her birthday... was gone.

I balled up my fists in frustration with my teeth also clenched, and slamming the drawer shut, causing the dresser to shake for a few seconds. I then backed up towards my bed, and lazily sitting down on it as I covered my face with my hands. Even if May didn't want the necklace back, I wasn't going to get rid of it. That necklace cost too much to just throw away like that, so I decided to keep it. Regardless, since our furniture and electronics are pretty old and cheap, the robbers must've taken the next valuable things they could find - our jewelry. Today was just not my day. First Brendan, and now this. No matter what I did, I never failed to get slapped in the face with a taste of reality.

I had been so annoyed by the situation that I didn't even leave my room. I didn't know what time the police officers left, but it had probably been about an hour when I noticed my dad coming into my room. He had cracked the door behind him, and casually ambling towards my bed where I laid with my arms behind my head as I stared motionlessly at the ceiling. He sat down at the foot of my bed, and staring directly at me for what seemed like forever prior to saying anything. Nonetheless, I hadn't looked at him, yet since him entering my room. After another minute or two, my father finally spoke.

'Uh, I'm sorry about what happened... your mother told me what the robbers had took from you. She said, the robbers must've entered into the house when she left to take Cece to the doctors. The house had been empty for at least three hours with her gone, me at work, and you at school.' He told me subtly.

Subsequently, I sat up on my bed to look at him. 'Where's Cece, anyway? Please, tell me she's okay?' I asked desperately.

'Don't worry, son. She's at your grandparents house for right now, but she's fine.' He assured me. I briskly exhaled a sigh of relief. It soon became quiet again for awhile until my dad decided to ask me a rather... random question.

'Uh, so Drew... this May girl - that is her name, right? ...How come you never told me about her?' He inquired incredulously.

I cocked an eyebrow as I looked at him. 'Uh... Well, dad you're always working, and May and I are only friends, so I didn't find it important enough to mention so hastily.' I shrugged.

'Just friends, huh? Well, you told your mother even though you guys are 'just friends'. Hell, your mother even met her, so why is telling me any different?' My father wondered curiously. I didn't respond since he had a point.

My father sighed. '...Son, I know you're not happy with the financial situation we're in, but I promise you it won't be this way much longer... I know that's why you're having trouble accepting the fact that you may actually really like this girl. Your mother's told me much about her, and she sounds like a sweet girl. Don't you think so?' He asked me.

I stared down in front of me as I thought of it. '...Of course, she is, dad. May's sweet, she's nice, she's smart, she's fun to be around, and she's-'

'And she's beautiful, right?' My father retorted with a sly grin.

I smirked bashfully from his comment. 'I know what you're trying to do, dad.'

'Then do something about it. Stop thinking May or any other girl as rich as her could never like you just because you don't have a lot money. This May girl might really like you, but you keeping pushing your feelings to the side. Now if she _does_ like you, then isn't that a win for Drew?' My father spoke, asking a rhetorical question.

I calmly nodded my head with a canny smirk on my face. '...You're right, dad... thanks.' I mumbled simply.

'Anytime, son.' My father replied, pounding his fist with mine. He then stood up from my bed, and beginning to walk out until he turned around towards me one last time to say something.

'Remember Drew, having money doesn't make you a man; being able to fight through the struggle does.' And with that, he quietly exited my room, closing the door behind him. And what he told me never left my mind. That's the kind of relationship my father and I had. He never failed to remind me of how to be a man, and showing me what really matters in life even when your lifestyle is less than perfect. I mean, that is how he won my mom over after all. I looked up to my dad. In my eyes... he was a hero.

Once I was left alone in my room again, I laid back on my bed like I had been previously. However, after a few minutes I could hear the sound of my bedroom door creaking open again. I figured it had to be my mom since my dad was just in here, so I didn't pay any attention to whomever it was. I heard them as they closed the door back after walking inside, and once they were standing directly next to my bed, I turned my head slightly to the right as I looked up at them. That's when I seen that the unexpected visitor... was Hilda. Neither of us spoke as we just stared at one another. Nevertheless, I calmly scooted over on my bed, giving her room to laid down next to me on my single twin sized bed.

She laid with her hands folded on top of her stomach, while I continued to lay with my hands behind my head. For about five minutes, the room remained inaudible. I hadn't seen Hilda since yesterday when she angrily left out of the house after May showed up. I guess she wanted to talk to me considering she was here with no books with her like she typically does for our daily tutoring sessions. I sensed her eyes on me as she glared at me, and lowly speaking to me.

'...You were supposed to take your Science today, right? Do you know what you got?'

I chuckled lightly. 'Yeah, I got a B. It was almost an A, but I got one too many questions wrong.' I joked amusingly.

'Well, a B is good too... I guess those study sessions are working.'

I calmly turned my head to look at her as I gazed at her casually. '...I guess they are.'

'You know, I heard our moms on the phone, so evidently I know what happened...' Hilda stated. I then looked back up towards the ceiling with another look of frustration.

'I'm really sorry about what happened, Drew, but it's not like it's the end of the world-'

'And how would you know that?' I queried harshly, and staring at her fiercely before getting up from my bed. Hilda looked at me worriedly with her eyebrows furrowed.

'I know because you're still here, right? I know things don't always seem to go your way, but that's no reason to give up.'

'And who says I'm giving up? I'm just frustrated!' I exclaimed as I leaned my hands against my dresser. I heard Hilda get up as she walked up behind me, but not saying anything.

I shook my head shamefully. '...Is the universe playing games with me, Hilda? I... I feel like every time something good happens to me, I'm later getting bit in the ass for something else. Why can't I just have a normal life like everybody else I know?' I asked to nobody in particular even though I knew Hilda would be the one to answer that question.

She lightly placed her hands onto my shoulders. 'Do you know that saying Drew that goes, God won't put you through what you can't handle? He's putting you through all of this because he knows you'll overcome it. Your life may not be normal, but at least it's not boring either...' Hilda remarked discriminately. I then slowly lifted my head up as I gazed into the mirror at my reflection, and all I saw was a poor, worthless teenager, who can't experience the finer things in life. I remembered what my dad told me, but that still wasn't going to change the present.

I then balled up my fist, and viciously punching my mirror as it cracked in front of me with a few shattered pieces falling onto the dresser. I sensed Hilda flinch from my ruthless action, but she didn't speak. Instead, she softly turned my body around to face her, and gently gripping my now bleeding hand into hers as she examined it. She looked up at me again still refusing to say anything, and eventually grabbing my wrist as she guided me to the bathroom to mend my bruised knuckle. She sat me down on the toilet as she removed the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet, and tenderly taking care of my hand. I glanced back and forth between my hand and her as another silence had fell upon us. When she finished, she put the kit back into its original location, threw away the scraps, and leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as she looked at me.

'Drew, I know you're upset, but you can't keep beating yourself up every time something bad happens to you. Not everything in life is going to go your way. Sometimes you gotta take a little to gain a little. Everything will get better eventually...' She lectured to me sternly. I sighed in annoyance.

'...But _when_ Hilda? I've been going through this kind of life for years, and I don't know how much more of it I can take.'

'Oh, and you think you're the only one with problems?' Hilda interrogated defensively.

'What? No, no-'

'Because my life isn't all that's cracked up to be either, Drew. It's just me and my six year old sister living in a small, dingy home with our alcoholic father, and having a deceased mother. My father goes to the bar every single night, and continuously comes home intoxicated, while I'm stuck at home to make sure the house is clean, and there's dinner on the table. And school is no different. You may not be rich, but at least your parents can afford to take you to an upper class school, but me? I'm forced to go to a school with tiny, hot classrooms, no clubs or extracurricular activities since it's not in the school's budget, and where they serve slop for lunch. My life is just as bad as yours - maybe worse, but I still get up _everyday_ to do what I have to do! I've been taking care of myself for most of my life along with my sister's since our sorry excuse for a father won't do shit. At least you have a father, who loves you, and tries his best every single day to make y'all situation better. And on top of that, you still have your mom, so please don't complain to me about how fucked up your life is because we all have problems, Drew even people like May. Her problems may not be as serious as ours, but I bet she still doesn't wake up everyday with a smile on her face, now does she!?' Hilda shouted irritably.

I stared at her with my eyes wide, and my mouth open since I didn't know what to say. Hilda stared at me too with her breathing heavy, but promptly beginning to exit the bathroom until I grabbed a hold of her wrist to stop her. She wanted me to let go of her, but my grip only got tighter as I pulled her back into the room. I then sat her down on my lap, and observed the way she squeezed her eyes shut to stop any tears from falling out.

I spoke to her in a whisper. 'You know, if you want to cry... then do it. Don't let me stop you.'

Hilda looked at me with a tense glare. '...I'm not going to cry, Drew whether you're here with me or not. I've dealt with more reasons to cry, and this moment right here... doesn't even compare. Besides, I'm stronger than that. If I cried every time something pissed me off, I'd probably be water logged.'

I looked at Hilda as the guilt was beginning to take over me. Hilda was right, her life isn't the best neither, and yet she never ever complains about it. If only I was as emotionally and mentally stable as her... then maybe I wouldn't bitch about things all the time, and learn to appreciate what I _do_ have instead of constantly looking at the negatives.

'You know Drew, your life may not be going well for you now, but you're not alone. You still have your parents, your friends, and you still have me too... We'll get through these bumps in the road together, okay? So stop complaining about all of the bad that's happened to you because it's not making your situation any better. You know that, right?'

I gradually nodded my head. 'Yeah... I know, but thanks for reminding me.'

'I'm always here if you need me, Drew. I've been around for too long to leave you now...' She voiced humbly with her azure colored eyes staring intensely into mine. That's when I realized... she was still on my lap... but I didn't mind. Honestly, I didn't want her to move, and once again another silence had approached us, but not an awkward silence.

As I proceeded to look at her, I could tell she wanted to just as much as I did, so... we did.

And for the first time in so long, I actually felt... relaxed.

* * *

_**Hopefully the break didn't seem too long, but if so, hopefully this chapter made up for it. I wasn't just lazing around doing nothing either during this break. Along with this chapter, I also typed up chapters Fifteen and Sixteen, so the quicker the reviews come in, the faster I post.**_

_**Okay, so let's talk about this chapter, shall we? **_

_**The chapter started off in Brendan's point of view with an argument between him and Drew. Drew was basically telling him to back away from May since he doesn't believe Brendan genuinely likes her, but Brendan briefly turned the discussion around on him by reminding Drew that he still can't admit to liking May as more than a friend or not.**_

_**1. Who do you guys believe is more right in this situation, Brendan or Drew? (And don't just say, Drew because you don't like Brendan. Consider what both of them are saying, and how they're feeling; look at it from both of their perspectives.)**_

_**The chapter then shifted to May's point of view where she overhead a conversation with Brendan and Nate about Brendan liking her, but May's obvious growing feelings for Drew. **_

_**1. What do you think? Do you believe Brendan could be a great boyfriend for May or no? (ContestShipper or HoennShipper or indecisive)**_

_**Then there was the cliffhanger for her point of view when she asked Dawn a question.**_

_**2. What do you think Dawn's response will be? **_

_**Lastly, the chapter ended in Drew's point of view where he came home to find out that his family was robbed. He lost the necklace he gave to May for her birthday, and now he's hating his life even more. You guys also got to meet his dad (finally). I always have Drew mention him, but never showing a conversation between them.**_

_**1. So what do you think? Do you like Drew's dad, and everything he was telling his son?**_

_**The scene then later focused on Hilda and Drew. There was Drew punching his mirror, the talk between him and Hilda in the bathroom, and the very last intimate moment between them at the end. Before Drew just said they were friends and nothing more, but now he's not so sure.**_  
_**It's pretty obvious Drew's beginning to like Hilda now, while at the same time still confused on how he feels about May, and that's mainly because Hilda isn't rich. They can relate when it comes to having a twisted lifestyle, and that's where their connection starts. Hilda has a way of looking at things differently - wanting Drew to do the same, and she can temporarily make all of his pain go away.**_

_**1. So tell me, I know you guys want Drew and May together, but how did you feel about the scene between Drew and Hilda? Honestly.**_

_**Am I messing with your emotions? I hope I am, lol. I know there's a lot of you wondering when Drew and May will 'go on a date' or get together, but you can't rush genius. Just read the rest of the story, and watch everything else unfold. I promise, you won't be disappointed... or maybe you will because only I know what's going to happen for everybody at the end of the story. ;)**_

_**ONLY A FEW MORE CHAPTERS UNTIL THE STORY ENDS ~ But don't worry, I'm already preparing ideas for my next story, so if any of you will be interested in reading it, you'll be notified about it soon. :)**_

_**I'll be posting a description for it on my tumblr blog sometime during the beginning of September, so if you're interested, my tumblr URL is written in the bio of my fanfiction profile. You can either follow me, or check back from time to time for the post... if you care.**_

_**Author's Reply: erdfgd, I'm glad you love the story... too bad it's almost finished, though.**_

_**jake97531, Much appreciated ^.^**_

_**Rainbine5, Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter just as much. :)**_

_**CatlinP1997, Your review made me smile ^.^ thanks for the kind words, and I hope you're happy that the story is back on now. :)**_

_**DisaterButterly, Lol, I'm happy you love the story, and hopefully this chapter was enjoyable for you too.**_

_**Tay, Thank you! ^.^**_

_**That-girl-from-outer-space6, Well, the story's back on now even though I'm almost finished with it, but I'm still glad you're enjoying it so far. :)**_

_**Amazon Huntress, Well, I don't think he would go that far, lol. O.o**_

_**tiffanynicolexo, Well, after reading this chapter you can plainly see that May forgives her father, but she hasn't forgot. I'm just glad her and Norman can start their relationship over on a clean slate. :)**_

_**bluebells, Glad you love the story. :)**_

_**Singing Wolf, Thanks for the suggestions, but I think I have an idea for my next story already, and maybe you'll read that one too when I post it, but if not, that's fine too. :)**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[8+ reviews for Chapter Fifteen]**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Note: Okay, here's Chapter Fifteen. Read, REVIEW, and enjoy!**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Fifteen | Before It's Too Late**_

Our lips moved slow and passionately with each other's as I held her in my arms. Our breathing was calm and steady, and the longer the endearment continued, the more I didn't want it to stop. Her lips felt soft, and the taste of her watermelon lip gloss made the kiss even more enjoyable. However, after awhile, I sensed that Hilda was holding back on me. As the kiss proceeded on, I noticed how slower and slower her lips were moving against mine until finally... she stopped kissing me altogether. She lightly but firmly shoved me away from her which had me a little confused. I thought this is what she wanted, but I guess not. I observed the skeptical and anxious expression on her face, and furrowing my eyebrows as I looked at her worriedly. The kiss Hilda and I first shared in the bathroom was like one of those kisses you see in corny romance movies when the guy and girl kiss for the first time for a brief second, stop, and then kiss again, but much more longer and affectionately.

Nonetheless, we had promtply went back into my room by the time our second kiss happened. I know the moment had be just as enjoyable for her as it was for me, so I didn't understand why she suddenly stopped. Hilda sat up on my bed as she bashfully rubbed up the side of her arm, and staring down at the floor appearing flustered. I wanted her to tell me what was bothering her, but as I gently touched her thight with my hand, she flinched, and scooted away from me. Saying I was confused now would only be an understatement. I mean, did I do something wrong? Did I pressure her into doing this? Did I make her uncomfortable? What? As I continued to mentally ask myself possible explanations to Hilda's sudden isolated behavior, I soon seen she had eventually glanced up at me. My eyes met hers, and I acknowledged the way she gradually began shaking her head. Then she stated in a whisper,

'...N-No, I... I can't do this, Drew - I won't.' She said sternly.

I looked at her in perplexity. 'Hilda, what are you talking about? I thought this is what you wanted.'

'I _don't_ want it Drew... not like this, and I know you don't want it, either.' Hilda replied relentlessly.

'How would you know what it is that _I_ want?' I asked her stubbornly.

Hilda gave me an obvious look. 'C'mon Drew, don't do this because I know all you're doing is using me.' She assumed confidently.

I glared at her in disbelief. 'Using you? Hilda, I-'

'_Yes, using me_, Drew! You and I have been friends for six years now, and when we first met, you made it pretty clear that you thought of me as nothing more than just a tutor.' Hilda uttered defensively as I quickly began to see the anger boiling up inside of her.

'That's not true, you're my friend too!'

'Maybe a friend, but not a girlfriend.' Hilda responded bitterly. I leisurely closed my mouth from her statement. During a month or two after Hilda and I first met, I briefly picked up on the way Hilda would look at me and flirt with me. I didn't want her to keep believing anymore for even a minute that I liked her back, so the very next time I saw her, that's what I told her. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, and for awhile, she took the confession pretty hard; eventually getting over it, nonetheless. Since then, she's never showed any signs of liking me, nor have we ever talked about a relationship with each other... 'til now.

Hilda calmly exhaled as she continued to speak. '...I liked you, Drew... a lot, but you made it pretty clear you didn't feel the same way about me. Yeah, I was upset by the news at first, but it didn't take me long to get over you... it's not like you're the first guy who's ever turned me down.' She told me pessimistically. I looked at her sheepishly and quietly. There was nothing I could say that would seriously change anything because I'm the one, who said I didn't like her, and yet here I was confusing the both of us for actually liking what just occurred between us. I guess when it comes to any girl, I can be very indecisive.

'Besides, I'm not stupid, Drew if that's what you think because I know you're only showing affection towards me to get rid of your undeniable feelings for May.' Hilda conveyed rigorously, and I didn't even bother arguing with her because... she was right.

'I'm not gonna lie, would I consider dating you if I knew I wasn't just some replacement to fill in a missing void? Yeah, most likely, but since that's not the case... it's not happening. Trust me Drew, I didn't want our kiss to stop either, but it's plain to see that you would rather be kissing someone else... not me. And I'm pretty sure she'd rather be kissing you right now too if she could, but you gotta stop this. You gotta stop pushing her away, and go tell her how you feel. Everybody keeps telling you this, so why are you making this so difficult? I know how much you like her, so why don't you just go be with her already?'

'And how much do you know about me liking May?'

'More than I need to, that's for sure. We're friends, Drew, so therefore you tell me everything. When you and May first met, you couldn't stop talking about her even if your life depended on it. You even talked about her when she wanted nothing to do with you.' Hilda reminded me as I looked away blushing.

'You told me about the time you guys sat outside and talked, and when you gave her a rose for the first time... You told me about the time you went over to her house for dinner, and how beautiful she looked in her dress... You told me how she bravely defended you when her father disrespected you... the way you cared so much about her when you found out she was in the hospital... the necklace you gave her for your birthday... the way you get all sensitive when your mom or anybody else teases you for liking her... and the way you took her in when she came to your house crying unannounced. Face it Drew, you and May have gone through too much together already without even knowing each other long, and yet everybody can see how much you love her.'

'I don't lo-'

'Nope, you love her, so stop denying it because it's getting old and annoying now. You'll probably never find another girl you love and care so much for like you do to May, so you better win her heart before somebody else does.' Hilda warned me as she stood up from my bed, and I immediately began thinking about Brendan. I watched Hilda as she ambled towards my bedroom door, but stopping in her tracks since I had one last thing to say to her.

'Wait, Hilda...' I demanded with my voice trailing off. Hilda gripped onto the doorknob, but looking back at me before opening the door.

'Yeah, Drew?'

'...You know I don't think of you as just a tutor, right? You're my best female friend, and even though it's official now that we'll never get into a relationship... I still need you with me. That sounds _so_ corny, but it's true. I don't want our friendship to end or change because of the things that happened between us tonight. Alright?'

Hilda smiled at me warmly. 'Don't be stupid, Drew. Of course, not. That kiss is history now, but the next time you kiss someone, it better be May... and that's an order.' And with that, Hilda exited my room, leaving my door opened. I didn't want it open, but I was too lazy to close it, so I just laid back on my bed with my hands behind my head. However, it didn't take long until I was unexpectedly disturbed by the sound of someone talking to me.

'...You know she's right, right?' A familiar voice spoke to me. I quickly sat up in my bed, turning towards the doorway, and seeing my mother leaning against the doorframe.

I cocked an eyebrow at her in bewilderment. 'Who's right?'

'Hilda.' My mother replied, and walking further into my room until she was sitting down on my bed.

I looked at her suspiciously. 'You were listening to our conversation?' I asked her in annoyance because of her blatantly easvesdropping.

'Don't change the subject.' My mother retorted, and softly grabbing my hand that I used to punch my mirror with.

'...I see you let your anger get the best of you again. Punching mirrors, is that a thing now? You need to stop this, Drew. We don't have money to be throwing away, so you can't be breaking everything in sight whenever you get mad. You were lucky Hilda was here to calm you down, and patch you up because if she weren't here and you did this, I would've beat your ass so badly your behind would sting for days.' My mother announced as I looked at her fretfully. She then smiled at me with a wink, and gently kissing my forehead before pulling me to her chest as she rocked us back and forth.

'...We're trying Drew, we really are. Your father goes to work, and busts his ass every single day to bring home enough money to pay all of these high ass bills, but it's not easy with me out of work for maternity leave. Regardless, we told you this situation would get better, and we meant it. But for now, stop complaining about how less fortunate your life is, and do the thing that's going to make you happy.' My mother declared. I looked up at her quizzically as she soon stared down at me.

'...Go tell May how you feel.' She clarified, and I guess I might as well. Everybody's been pestering me about it for the longest now, so I might as well do it. However, there was still something I didn't understand.

'But how can I be in love with a girl I haven't even known for that long?' I questioned her in bewilderment.

'You tell me...' She stated subtly. 'It's not about how long you've known a person Drew that deciphers how you feel about them... It's about everything else.' My mother told me.

'It's about how much you care about that person, how much you're thinking about that person, and how that person makes you feel. Tell me... how does May make you feel whenever you're around her?' My mother asked me curiously. My eyes wandered the floor of my bedroom as I thought about it.

'...She makes me feel... different, but in a good way. I hate almost everything about myself, but when I'm with May... I don't even think about the negatives or our unfortunate lifestyle. She makes me feel like I have a purpose in this world after all considering she always comes to me for help or comfort. May makes me feel wanted... needed... and no girl's ever made me feel like that before.'

'Then that my little Drew Bear is why you love her so much, so stop doubting the facts, and tell her that for yourself.' My mother insisted with a stern look in her eyes, and a faint grin on her face.

I nodded my head in agreement. '...I will, mom thanks.' I responded, and kissing her cheek as I stood up from my bed with the intentions of going to see May. However, my mother briefly halted me in my tracks as I turned around to look at her.

'Yeah, mom?'

'There's something I gotta tell you first.' She remarked, making me even more confused. What could she possibly have to tell me now?

* * *

'Is this a trick question?' Dawn replied incredulously.

'Dawn, I'm serious. How do you feel about me and Drew?' I asked her again.

'Wait, why are you only asking Dawn for advice? I can be more help to you than _her_.' Misty complained offensively.

'Shh, not now Misty.' I responded, waving my hand in front of her face. She quickly pouted as she folded her arms. Truth is, I was only questioning Dawn because she knows more about Drew than Misty considering they enter contests together, but aside from that Dawn has told me once before that she believes Drew likes me, and that we would be a nice couple, so I wanted to get her honest opinion about the situation.

'Now, now Misty don't be bitter. If May wants my advice, then the least you could do is respect that.' Dawn uttered arrogantly, causing Misty to roll her eyes.

'So what do you think?' I asked Dawn another time.

She shrugged. 'I don't know, May I mean, you're not really giving me much to go on. You and Drew aren't even together. Last time we talked about this, you were all shy and embarrassed just from the mention of his name.' Dawn reminded me as I looked down towards my hands again, beginning to blush.

'See, just like that.' Dawn teased with a sly smirk.

'Dawn, _please_!' I spoke in agitation. 'Okay, the truth is, I do like Drew, or at least I want to like Drew, but I don't even know if he likes me back or not.' I stated nervously, referring to the information I recently learned from Brendan and his friend.

'Alright, so what is it that you're really trying to ask me?' Dawn questioned me curiously.

I looked up at her anxiously. '...What would you do if you liked someone, but the person kept denying their feelings for you?' I inquired bashfully. I was expecting Dawn to reply with a snappy comeback or senseless, rebellious response, but I observed the look on her face as she seriously began thinking of an answer. And something tells me... she was thinking about Paul.

'Well hypothetically speaking, there's two things I would do personally. I'd either _make_ them admit to liking me, or... I move on.' Dawn declared sternly with a shrug.

I cocked an eyebrow intriguingly. 'Move on?'

Dawn nodded. 'Yeah, because if a guy is constantly denying how he feels about me, then he's not worth dating in the first place. There's other guys out there, who's going to show me love and affection the way us girls like it, and _those May_ are the ones you keep around.' She notified me, and for some reason I instantly began thinking... about Brendan. I may not have known him for as long as I've known Drew, but he's still the only, who's been treating me like the way Dawn described it - with love and affection. I can tell Brendan cares about me, and I know Drew does too, but only because we're friends. I mean, that's what friends do for each other, right? They care about each other, and there's no doubt in my mind that I care about Drew an awful lot too, but if all we're ever going to be is friends, then there's no use in waiting around anymore.

This entire situation was just becoming annoying and frustrating. Choosing the right guy to be with between Brendan and Drew was like a girl trying to pick out an outfit to wear for the day. They're both complicating. That's when Dawn said something else to me.

'However, judging by your question I would have to guess that that's what Drew is doing to you now, right?' She questioned me, and I shamefully nodded my head.

'Then May you better not be thinking about waiting around for Drew forever because we girls don't have that kind of time. It's either he likes you, or he doesn't. It doesn't get anymore complicating than that.'

'Dawn's right, May. You're a very beautiful girl, and I'm sure if Drew isn't the guy for you, then I guarantee you there's a guy out there for you somewhere who is. You might have to give it some time until you find him, but trust me, he's out there. Every girl has that one moment in their life when they believe there's nobody special for them, but luckily we always turn out to be wrong. I used to feel that way too before I met Ash, so I'm sure your Prince Charming is out there somewhere whether it's Drew, or somebody else. Regardless, he'll be waiting for you, May.' Misty explained, bringing a faint smile to my face. I didn't think Misty would understand how I'm feeling considering she's already in a relationship, but I guess every girl experiences the single life at one or more points in their life.

I glanced back and forth between Misty and Dawn, and graciously pulling them in for a hug. They were my best friends, and they meant everything to me. I love them to death; I wouldn't know what I'd do without them. Whether they're making me laugh, pissing me off, or making me feel better when I'm going through a rough time in my life, they'll always be one of the first two people I go to when in asking for help. My father may be the reason why I don't have many friends, but Dawn and Misty are all I need. I don't need ten or twenty best friends to feel wanted or special... All I need is them.

'We love you, May...' They both said to me simultaneously as I squeezed them even tighter.

'...I love you guys too.' I mumbled soothingly, and because of them, I now knew what I had to do to end this 'Brendan and Drew' situation once and for all. And the first thing I needed to do once both of our companies left... was to go spend some time with Brendan, and then only then will I finally be able to tell who I really belong with.

* * *

The sun had been gone for the day with the moon taking place in its absence, but I had been too distracted to stop what I was doing. After Nate left, it hadn't been long until my dad called me from his new job with some interesting news. Apparently he's found an apartment we can stay in with a reasonable price, so we'll be moving out of May's house tomorrow night. Even though I was happy to be living in my own home again, I still didn't want to leave May. I've enjoyed living here with her temporarily, and I think we've gotten really close because of it. The more I thought about it, the more I began thinking about my feelings for her, and this whole situation with her, Drew, and myself. I wasn't the type of guy to take another guy's girl - that include crushes, but Drew said that him and May were only friends, so there's nothing wrong with proving to May about how much I like her.

Eventually, I had gotten into the pool in their backyard because I needed something to do that would distract me long enough to clear my mind. I felt like every time there was something on my mind, it was May. I wasn't going to be chasing after her for much longer; only until it wasn't necessary anymore. I wanted May to see me as the guy she needs and wants in her life, but that's easier said than done. I've never been in a solid, genuine relationship, and even though I have a girl, who can possibly change all of that now, it doesn't seem too likely because she's stupid in love with Drew. As I continued to think about it, I quickly heard the angelic voice I memorized so well.

I stopped midway of one of my laps, and standing straight up in the pool as I gazed across the way to see May standing on the edge of the pool with a very attractive bikini on. For a moment, I was speechless, while I stood there taking in all of May's curves, beauty, and imperfections. I noticed her mouth moving, but I heard nothing coming out as I was too distracted. May then briskly wrapped her towel around her body, immediately breaking my concentration as I soon swam over to her. By the time I got over to her, she was sitting down on the edge of the pool, and kicking her feet in the water. When she looked at me, she smiled at me tenderly, but the grin didn't stay long.

I then rested my arms on the side of the pool as I spoke to her. '...Are you okay?'

May looked at me nonchalantly before putting her head back down, and plainly shaking her head. '...Did I make you feel uncomfortable?' I queried, referring to my recent staring.

May shrugged, while shaking her head again. 'I thought I'd come out here to swim with you, so we could spend some time together, but... the way you were looking at me had me second guessing the idea.'

'Really? Well, I'm really sorry, May. I didn't mean for that to happen. You just looked so beautiful in your two piece bikini that I...' I was in the midst of saying until I observed the way May began looking at me. Her gaze was tense, and if I wasn't mistaken, then I would say she had tears in her eyes.

I glanced at her worriedly as I questioned her. 'May, what's wrong? I'm seriously not trying to hurt your feelings or anything-'

'Stop the flirtatious shit Brendan, and tell me what you _really_ think.' May interrupted aggressively.

I looked at her in confusion. 'What... What do you mean?'

'Don't play stupid, Brendan... about my scars! I know you must've noticed them the way you were staring at me, so just go ahead and tell me you really think instead of trying so hard to flatter me.' May explained, but in all honesty I hadn't even noticed any scars. With the sun being gone, and previously being in the middle of the pool I was too far away to see any. Besides, even if I did, that wouldn't have me thinking any less of May than I do right now. I stared intensely into May's teary sapphire eyes, and then down towards her stomach that was covered by her towel. I looked up at May again for confirmation, seeing how hesitant she appeared before finally nodding her head, yes. In no time, I calmly and lightly began removing May's towel partially off of her body, and quickly witnessing the scars and bruises all over her. It was evident that some were recent, and some were probably from awhile ago.

I softly traced my hand against one of her scars, but hastily feeling a teardrop land onto the back of my hand. Once again, I looked up at May to see she had been crying officially this time. This was the second time I got to see May cry, and I hated every minute of it. I lightly wiped some of her tears away with my thumb as May exhaled deeply prior to saying anything.

'...They're scars I've received from my father over the years... some are just recent, and some... are permanent. I have bruises and marks on my neck and arms to, but they're pretty faded, so I wouldn't be surprise if you've never noticed them... I'm actually very insecure when it comes to displaying my scars to certain people, but I thought I'd make you an exception just because I know how much you...' May mumbled, but stopping her sentence altogether; lowering her head down again. I didn't force her to say anything else, so I just lifted her chin up with my hand having our eyes connect.

'May, I don't care about your scars... they're not going to make me think any differently of you. Your father was rough on you in the past, I get that, but you should look at those scars and bruises as a symbol of bravery. Your dad has beaten you and tortured you, and you endured every last bit of it which shows how much of a strong person you truly are. And I'm not just telling you what you want to hear, I'm telling you this because it's the truth, and anybody who judges you because of your past are just assholes, who you don't need to be associating yourself with... and for the record, I am _not_ one of those assholes.' I stated, causing May to giggle, and that made me feel good; knowing you brought a needed smile to someone's face would make anyone feel good.

Once May's laughing had ceased, a brief silence had surfaced around us as I couldn't stop myself from staring at her lips. Needless to say, I noticed she had been staring at mine too, so ultimately... I took that as an okay. With my hand still under May's chin, I slowly brought her lips closer to mine as I prayed that nothing right now would interrupt this moment. When I could feel the slightest touch of May's lips against mine, I quickly felt her body tense up as if she wanted to pull away, but... she didn't. May wanted this right now... I could tell, and there was nobody here to tell her not to. It was also pretty obvious... that she's been waiting patiently for someone to kiss her like this for a long time now, and I'm glad that I had been the one to do it.

* * *

_**Okay, this chapter was pretty short because it was basically a continuation of everyone's point of views from last chapter. There was actually a scene I was going to add into this chapter, but eventually felt it would be better for Chapter Sixteen, so you'll see it then.**_

_**Anyway, tell me what y'all think:**_

_**1. The scene between Drew and Hilda - did anybody get all tingly inside when Hilda mentioned all of the moments between May and Drew? I did.**_

_**2. The scene between Drew and Leanne - what do you think Leanne had to tell him?**_

_**3. Dawn's advice to May**_

_**4. May showing Brendan her scars**_

_**5. Brendan and May's kiss - who honestly thought Drew would've been the first person May would kiss?**_

_**That makes Brendan May's first kiss ever if you remember back in the previous chapters during the mentioning of her party, and Misty stated how May hasn't had her first kiss, yet.**_

_**Another thing, Brendan said, "It was also pretty obvious... that she's been waiting patiently for someone to kiss her like this for a long time now..." - guys remember back in Chapter Nine during Drew's point of view, and his thoughts were "As I continued to look at her, I could tell that it was almost as if there was something else she wanted from me, and I had a good feeling I knew what it was."**_

_**I'm pretty sure you guys knew what it was at the time too, lol which was that May wanted Drew to kiss her, but he never did which is why she got all disappointed after the fact. **_

_**Anyways, I know y'all are routing for ContestShipping, but I still think HoennShipping is cute too. ^.^**_

_**Author's Reply: Singing Wolf, I'll probably let y'all know the name of my next story on the last chapter of this story. :)**_

_**Kitten-lover136, Glad you love the story. ^.^**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[8+ reviews for Chapter Sixteen]**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Note: Posted this chapter earlier than usual, so Read, REVIEW, and enjoy!**_

* * *

_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Sixteen | The Second One's a Charm.**_

Something didn't feel right... The inside of my stomach felt like a million Butterfree dancing inside of me, but not necessarily as a good thing. I softly stroked Espeon's fur as she comfortably laid across my lap. I hadn't been spending as much time with her lately with everything that's been going on, and kept her concealed inside of her Pokéball all this time. As we sat together on my bed, I couldn't stop thinking about what had occurred between Brendan and I. The kiss I shared with Brendan is probably something I'd add on my list of things I regret. Having his lips against mine only had me realizing who it is I truly want to be with... and it's not Brendan. It was my first kiss ever, but there was nothing miraculous about it. I always thought that when you kiss someone, you're supposed to sense love... sparks... feeling, and I didn't experience any of that. Needless to say, it's not that Brendan is a bad kisser or anything, but it's evident he's not the one I'm supposed to be falling in love with. I know Dawn and Misty told me not to wait around for Drew, and that there's a guy out there for me somewhere, but what if that guy _is_ Drew?

Apparently he's just having some trouble deciphering his possible feelings for me, and I don't find anything wrong with that. Not every guy in the world is ultimately going to know how he feels about a girl right from the start, or if that girl is truly who they want to be spending most of their time with. Maybe Drew's just confused about finding that special sign that's going to tell him whether or not I'm the one to be with. Maybe he's just scared of being wrong or regretful or heartbroken in the end. During the time I spent getting to know Drew, I quickly came to the conclusion that he's sensitive when it comes to his lifestyle, and often relies on hints to help make his decisions. He doesn't always think first before doing things, and frequently has to be told more than once until finally understanding something... but that's what I love about him. All of those things are what make Drew... _Drew_. And I learned _that_ one from Dawn.

She taught me that if you truly care about a person, then all of their imperfections, insecurities, and their personality are just many things to cherish about them. Not everybody is the same, or is going to act the way you'd like them too, but that's what makes being with that person much more interesting. I swear, if I could somehow go back in time, and prevent the poorly way I treated Drew when I yelled at him, and viciously snatching off his necklace, then I would do it in a heartbeat. I know he says he forgives me, and to let bygones be bygones, but I couldn't help it. Every time I thought of it I felt more and more like a terrible friend especially how even after all of that, and Drew still comforted me when I really needed him. Regardless of what he said, nothing was going get rid of this remorseful pain erupting inside of me. I needed to tell Drew that I'm sorry... I needed to tell Drew that I lo-

'Knock, knock... May? Are you busy?' A disturbance interrupted me free from my thoughts with the sound of my bedroom door opening. However, the voice was recognizable. I glanced towards the doorway, and abruptly acknowledging my father peeking his head into my room.

I looked at him plainly, but eventually shaking my head, no to his recent query. '...No, dad. You can come in.' I informed him, and watching closely as he eagerly entered my room, leaving the door slightly opened.

He walked over to my bedside, and softly sitting down on the edge of it as he stared at me. I returned the stare, and briefly observing the gleeful smile on his face. I cocked an eyebrow incredulously, and soon questioning him. 'Uh, so what's up dad?'

'There's something I want to talk to you about, so I hope I wasn't bothering you or anything...' My father stated curiously as I looked at him nonchalantly. _No, dad you did not just unexpectedly come into my room, while I was vaguely thinking about my feelings for a certain green eyed boy, who you despise, by the way. Please, tell me whatever it is that is so important that you just had tell me at this very moment. I promise, I'll listen_. I thought rudely in my head, and subtly smirking to myself.

I then shook my head again. 'No, dad it's fine. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?' I asked in annoyance, but trying not to display it in my voice. It's not that I was mad at my dad or anything, but this was really a bad time. I mean, I just finished kissing the son of his best friend, while later thinking about the feelings of another person. It was obvious I wanted to be alone, but I wasn't going to tell my father that. He seemed so excited to talk to me about whatever it is that's on his mind, so I didn't want to disappoint him. Might as well listen to him now, so I won't have to do it later.

My father took a deep breath. '...May, you know I still feel bad about everything that's happened between us, right?' He inquired, and I gradually nodded my head becoming more and more intrigued about what it is he had to tell me.

'Well, I know how much we never bonded over years when you were growing up, and I wanted to change that... There's uhm, there's a father-daughter dance taking place at the Petalburg Community Center tomorrow night, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind attending it with uhm... with me.' My father asked me nervously, and I raised my eyebrows anxiously from the invitation. I realize my father regrets how our relationship turned out, and wants to fix his mistakes, but I wasn't aware of how much all of this genuinely meant to him. Nevertheless, who was I to refuse? I was fortunate enough to make it out of an abusive relationship with some positive closure, and it was plain as day how badly my father was trying. If I were to say, no it would crush him, so instead I answered,

'...Of course, dad. I would love to accompany you to the father-daughter dance.' I uttered affectionately with my father's smile growing in size. He leaned across the space between us as he tightly squeezed me in an embrace, and tenderly kissing my forehead as he whispered in my ear... 'I love you, May.'

The comment made my heart skip a beat since I rarely hear my dad say anything like that to me and mean it, but nonetheless, I hugged him back telling him the same thing too. To be honest, I was actually excited for this father-daughter dance, but just hopefully... nothing will go wrong. Once my father finally left my room, leaving me to be alone, I laid back on my bed with my hands rested on top of Espeon's back as I stared up at the ceiling. I had almost instantly began thinking about Drew again, but as I did, a sudden beeping sounded from my cell phone. I glanced over towards my nightstand, and seen I had a text message... from Drew.

* * *

I paced back and forth anxiously as I rubbed my hands together. I was finally going to tell May how I feel about her, but I was entirely nervous for her reaction and response. I mean, I'm pretty sure May likes me just as much as I like her, but what if she doesn't? What if I was right all this time about a girl such as May never having an interest in a poor, lower class teenager like me? I would've done all of this for nothing instead of believing in my instincts, and just stand there looking like a fool as May tells me she doesn't like me. I would've let my family and friends persuade me into doing something I knew wasn't meant to be from the very beginning. As I could literally feel my heart pounding inside of me as I anticipated May's arrival, the waiting... was soon over.

I noticed the front door of their mansion open up, and there stood May in the doorway with some pajamas on, and an elated grin on her face. I stood stiff as a board, keeping a far enough distance away from their house, but promptly acknowledging the way May started running towards me. Her brunette colored hair flowed gently with the wind as she ran, and her sapphire eyes shined brightly from the gleam of the moon. Once the space between us had shrank until she was present directly in front of me, she quickly wrapped her arms around my neck as she hugged as if we hadn't seen each other in years.

Almost on impulse, I wrapped my arms around her petite waist, and lifting her off of the ground as I spun us around. The force from her hug practically asked me to. When I soon set her back down, her arms were still around my neck, while my hands rested tenderly on her hips. She stared intensely into my eyes, exhaling deeply, and then hugging me again. I didn't quite understand what made her so attached to me all of a sudden, but I wasn't complaining. I guess she was simply just happy to see me. Once she backed away from me again, she looked up at me as she asked me a question.

'...I got your text telling me to come outside, and came down as fast as I could, but... how come you decided to come now?'

I shrugged nonchalantly. 'I guess I just wanted to see you, and felt like this was best time.' I stated subtly. A bashful smile then appeared on May's lips, and she calmly left out of our embrace as she grabbed my hand, and guided us over to her porch to sit down on the swing they had located there. I casually sat down first with May sitting down after me, putting her feet and legs up next to her, and leaning against my shoulder as I wrapped my arm around her. For a moment, neither of us said anything as we slowly rocked back and forth on the swing, taking in the peaceful silence. I was worried about even being this close to May's house with her considering her father 'forbid' me of ever seeing her even though we still talk behind his back, but she didn't seem to care, so evidently I didn't either.

That's when I heard May's angelic voice speak to me. 'Drew... do you remember the time when we first met... and you made fun of the relationship I had with my father...' May's voice trailed off as she interrogated me. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable by her query, shifting awkwardly in my seat, but cleared my throat as I responded with a bland, yes.

'And do you remember when you tripped me at the Instant Noodle Shop, and laughed in my face about it?' May asked me, and I replied again with another regretful, yes.

'_And_ do you remember that argument we got into after school, and I passed out in the park?' May asked me, and I looked at her sympathetically.

'...Why are you bringing up all of this?' I asked her quietly. May looked up at me, but then straight ahead again as she responded,

'Because it's hard for me to believe how much of an ass you were to me back then when we didn't even know each other, and now... we're almost always together.' May explained, and I hated how right she was. I never realized it before, but I treated May so wrongly when we first met, and yet she's still here with me. Any other girl wouldn't even have given me the time of day after something like that, but May gave me a chance, anyway. I guess I had to cherish her for that much, right?

'There's something else I've been meaning to talk to you about too.' May announced, and leaning off of my body as she looked at me.

'Uh, what is it, May?'

'...How come you and Brendan don't get along? I tried asking him the same question when we first met, but he said it's better if you tell me, so what's _really_ up with you two?' May inquired incredulously with a cocked eyebrow.

I chuckled falsely. 'Figures he would tell you that. He probably would've just lied about everything, anyway.' I replied bitterly, but eventually sighing heavily to myself before telling May the story.

'...You probably don't see this side of him whenever you're with him May, but Brendan is nothing but a jerk... _a bully_. We went to the same middle school together, and there was this one kid with glasses, and braces that everybody witnessed him picking on. Brendan was very popular back then... he still is now, and he only did certain things to either look cool, get attention, or simply because he was bored... But even so, not one person ever stepped up, and told him to stop... so he just kept bullying that kid every chance he got; that is, until one day...'

May looked at curiously. 'Until what?'

'You probably didn't know this... but Ash and Paul actually used to be friends with Brendan until they dumped him for me.' I admitted, noticing the surprised look in May's expression.

'Ash was the one, who couldn't stand to see Brendan's bullying anymore, and was the first one along with Paul after convincing him how much a jerk Brendan really is to step up and defend the kid Brendan picked on... and that little, unattractive sixth grader... was me.' I confessed nervously as May's eyes widened.

'That was _you_?'

'Surprised?'

'Yeah, because you look nothing like how you described.' May told me with a faint smile.

'Thanks, I guess puberty did wonders for me... But anyway... before Ash and Paul confronted Brendan, I confronted him for myself first. I decided to talk to him about his constant bullying when I had the chance to get him alone...' I explained, and May looked at me worriedly.

'So... what happened?'

'...He beat me up...' I retorted in embarrassment as I stared down towards the floor of the porch with a tense glare in my eyes, and one my fists balled up just from the remembrance of what Brendan did to me. The mood between May and I suddenly went quiet as I could sense her wandering eyes on me. I didn't really know what else to say after that, so I didn't say anything at all. Even though I would say I put up a good fight against Brendan, he still managed to get the best of me. He beat me up in front of a majority of the school, and still likes to tease me about it every chance he gets like he just did recently. Of course, he was suspended for what he did to me, but he mainly sees his empowerment over me as a victory. If it weren't for Ash and Paul pulling him back during the fight, I probably would've been more injured than how I ended up originally.

Since then, I've hated Brendan with everything I have in me, but I would say the only good thing that came out of all of that was becoming friends with Ash and Paul. Besides that, Brendan still manages to anger me or piss me off, and now he's trying to steal May away from me by trying to impress her with all of his money considering I hardly have any, but there was no way I was going to let that happen. Just like Hilda said, May and I have been through too much together already to just throw all of that away. Subsequently though, I could feel the touch of May's hand on top of mine as she looked me. Then she said,

'You know, you may not have been the most attractive guy around, and you may not be the richest... but Brendan is still an asshole for treating you like that. If I had known all of this sooner, then I wouldn't even have gave him a chance.' May replied, and I was slightly surprised to hear that.

'Really?'

May nodded. 'To be honest, after I found out my dad was basically forcing us together, so you and I would be apart... I wasn't even gonna give Brendan the time of day.'

I cocked an eyebrow. 'So what changed your mind?'

'Max.' May responded plainly. 'I let him persuade me into being Brendan's friend, but now I regret it. I realize now that the only people I need in my life are Dawn, Misty... and you.' May admitted with a bashful smile, but as I continued to look at her, I noticed a crimson colored blush appearing on her cheeks. I then grabbed her hand in mine, and observed the way her eyebrows raised as she stared down at our intertwined fingers. Once her eyes met mine again, May glared at me skeptically.

'Drew...' She mumbled, but briefly halting her sentence as I began leaning in with her quickly following my lead, and our lips were just about to touch until,

'I see you don't know how to follow orders.' A menacing voice sounded next to us.

May and I abruptly backed away from each other as we looked towards the door, and standing in the doorway was Norman as he leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. May and I stood up from the swing on the porch, and May quickly stood in front of me, while she stretched her arms out to shield me.

'Dad, leave him alone. Haven't you messed with him enough?' May interrogated, but it wasn't long after until I gently removed her arms from in front of me. She looked at me slightly confused until I assured her I'd be okay. We then glanced back towards Norman as he leaned his body off of the door frame, and ambling over in our direction with his hands in his pockets. I stood with a firm stance, and taking in Norman's bland looking stare as he looked at me.

He glared back and forth between May and I prior to keeping his eyes on me as he spoke. '...I guess you just can't stay away from her, can you?' Norman asked me. May and I stared at each other as I answered his question.

'...No, sir.'

'I see, and how much would you say you care about my daughter?'

'..._A lot_. She means everything to me, sir.' I responded still continuing to stare at May as I answered Norman's questions.

'Hm, then I guess I was wrong.' Norman conveyed as both May and I looked at him questioningly.

'What do you mean, dad?' May inquired suspiciously.

'I thought the perfect guy for you, May had to be someone, who does well in school and with a bright future ahead of them, but I was wrong. I can sense how much you love and care for my daughter Drew, and that's all a father ever wants to hear. I just want to be sure that May will be with someone that will never hurt her, and I think she's found that someone... in you.' Norman declared. I was speechless, and as I looked over to May, I seen her focus had still been fixated on her father.

'I mean, you do _love_ my daughter, don't you?' Norman asked me dubiously. 'You know what, you can prove it to both May and I tomorrow night. We'll go to a restaurant for dinner to make up for the horrible way dinner at our house turned out. It's going to be at that noodle shop that opened up recently, and then and only then, will I be able to decide whether or not you're capable enough to date my daughter. Understand?'

'Yes, sir.' I retorted sternly, and feeling the stare of both May and her father looking at me.

'Well, alright then. C'mon May, it's getting late - back inside.' Norman demanded, and allowing May to walk in first as his hands laid perched on top of her shoulders. I acknowledged the way May looked back at me, while walking inside, and the tender grin visible on her lips. I knew how much it meant to May in impressing her father the last time, so I made sure I wasn't going to screw up with this second chance I was fortunate enough to receive. When Norman gets done with me, he'll soon be able to see that I was right for his daughter all along, while Brendan... will be nothing, but a memory.

* * *

As my father and I walked back into the house, I quickly jogged towards the window that overlooks the front yard, and closely gazing at Drew as he ambled off of the porch, and down the pavement with his hands in his pockets, and his head slightly down. I couldn't help but smile and blush, while his silhouette got further and further away until he was completely out of sight. With my father's strict rules, I've never been able to have a boyfriend before, but I'm sure that wasn't going to be the case for much longer. As I continued to look out of the window, I suddenly felt the touch of somebody's hand drape onto my shoulder. Momentarily, I flinched, but soon glancing behind me to notice my father standing there with a bland expression.

I turned around to face him, and we stared intently at one another for awhile until I finally decided to question him. 'Dad... did you really mean everything you said about Drew and I out there?'

My father then grabbed both of my hands, and held them firmly in his as he looked at me. 'May, I know I was hard on Drew when we first met, but that was only because I was being the way my uncle always taught me to be, and I'm not going to be that way anymore, you know that. Truth is, I see a lot of myself in Drew. When I was young, I used to love Pokémon more than anything in the world. I even wanted to become a gym leader for any challenger, who wanted to battle me for a badge, but... my uncle told me that Pokémon and battles were idiotic and a waste of time, and that money and a proper education is what really matters if you want to be successful in life. His wisdom sounded convincing to me at that age, but I still wasn't sure how I felt about ditching all contact with Pokémon completely. Needless to say however, it's not like I had a choice. I hated everything I said to Drew that night about wasting his time with Pokémon Contests because it reminded me so much of how my uncle would yell at _me_. Well, you won't have to worry anymore, May because tomorrow night is going to be all about you. I want to make sure that Drew is really the right guy for you, and we'll both determine that tomorrow night at dinner.' My father explained, and hugging me affectionately as I leaned my head against his chest.

However, my eyes soon narrowed over to Brendan, who had just walked into the room as he sat down on one of the couches, and the expression masking over his face looked like anything _but_ pleasant. Even though I didn't like it, I would think after the kiss we shared earlier that he'd be smiling from ear to ear, but instead his mood was the complete opposite. It kind of bothered me as I wondered whether or not I should be concerned, but decided against it. Too much good was finally happening for me, and I didn't want anything to ruin it. Whatever Brendan's pissed about hopefully doesn't concern me.

I went to bed last night with peaceful dreams, and waking up this morning with a smile on my face as I remembered what today was. I had checked my cell phone to see whether I received any text messages from Drew, but to no avail. I guess he was nervous about tonight, and just wanting to make sure everything went perfectly. When I first met up with my father this morning, he even seemed excited about tonight, but that probably more so had to do with the father-daughter dance I promised I go to which was our second destination after the dinner with Drew.

From the time I woke up to the time it was time to leave, I've been spending a majority of my day finding the perfect outfit to wear for this last minute occasion, and eventually obtaining some help from Dawn and Misty after asking them what I should wear. They seemed slightly surprised by the arrangement my father suggested, but happy for me, nonetheless considering they knew how much I felt about Drew. Once evening time had approached, it was finally time to get the night started. I trekked elegantly and carefully down the stairs to make sure I didn't trip, while wearing my heels, and finding my father waiting for me in the living room, so he could drive us to the restaurant.

Brendan had been sitting on the couch again, but his focus only remained on the television in front of him with a tense look on his face; he hadn't glanced in my direction once. I found that rather odd, but briefly ignoring it. Right now, Drew was the only guy on my mind, while Brendan was only a mystery. By the time we pulled up to the building of where we'd be eating for the night, it hadn't been long until I spotted a green haired Coordinator standing in front of the restaurant, and once again not wearing anything fancy or dressy, and I laughed lowly to myself. Drew was not going to change anything about himself for nobody, but I guess that's just one of things I admire about him.

Subsequently however, my father soon walked up beside me, and linking my arm with his as he guided us towards the building. It didn't take long for Drew to acknowledge us as I observed the calm smirk plastered onto his face. Once we walked up to him, my father was the first one to greet him.

'Hello there, Drew. I see you made it here on time.'

'Good evening, sir. Yeah, I made sure I'd be here when you two arrived, so I took a bus early to get here.' Drew told us.

'A bus? Why didn't one of your parents drive you?' I asked him curiously.

Drew looked at me subtly. 'Because I didn't want them to... tonight, I'm not relying on anyone but myself, so that includes getting to and from my destination all on my own. Besides giving me some money out of our emergency fund just for tonight, I'm going to be handling my own.'

My father lightly touched Drew's shoulder. 'You got a good head on your shoulders, son. C'mon, let's go inside.' My father stated, and walking in ahead of Drew and I. Before we walked in, Drew quickly stopped me as he apparently had something to tell me.

'What is it, Drew?'

'Here, I wanted to give you this...' He replied, and revealing a bright and vibrant red colored rose from behind his back. My eyes briskly widened as I stared at the flower in awe, and immediately remembering the first time Drew ever gave me a rose. And just like before, I hesitantly grabbed it out of his grasp as I soon looked at him, while holding the rose delicately between my finger tips.

'It's... another rose.'

Drew nodded. 'I know how much it disappointed you when your dad killed the first one, so... I decided to give you another one. I know it's probably not as special as the other one, but hopefully it'll be a good enough replacement for the one you lost.'

My eyes had wandered back down towards the rose again, and hastily reminiscing back to the time I watched my father senselessly destroy my first rose with a pair of scissors. I soon could feel tears coming to my eyes which Drew noticed immediately as he looked at me worriedly.

'May? May, are you alright?' He questioned me in concern. I then quickly wiped away the few tears that had fallen before glancing up at Drew again.

'...I'm fine, Drew... they're happy tears...' I assured him with a grin, and grabbing his hand as I intertwined our fingers together. Drew appeared bashful by the gesture as he stared down at our interlocked hands, but looking away, nevertheless as he blushed. I guess once the red coloring left his cheeks, he gazed in my direction, and soon walking hand in hand with me into the restaurant to find my father before he got worried.

And as I proceeded to hold Drew's hand, I could tell he was enjoying this just as much as I was...

* * *

_**Okay, so a couple of things...**_

_**1. Norman and May are attending a father-daughter dance to better their relationship**_

_**2. Drew and May almost kissed**_

_**3. Drew explained why him and Brendan don't get along**_

_**4. Drew admitted to loving May in front of her AND her father (I'm so proud of him, lol)**_

_**How did y'all feel about May mentioning all of the bad times between her and Drew?**_

_**Did y'all like the way Drew kept solid eye contact with May when answering Norman's questions about how he felt about her? (I thought that part was so cute)**_

_**5. We also have Brendan obviously all annoyed about something... Hm, wonder what his problem is?**_

_**6. And awe, Drew gave May another rose just like he did during the time they first met. He's so sweet. ^.^**_

_**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did because this is honestly one of my favorites.**_

_**And I know some of you think Brendan and Hilda should meet/date, but I'm telling you guys now, it's not going to happen. I feel like them two meeting or going out is irrelevant to the story. Besides, what kind of author would I be if I just wrote what you guys wanted to see? There's no fun in that because you would've already expected it.**_

_*****IMPORTANT INFO*** Another thing, I've almost 100% decided on what the plot of my next story is going to be, and it's going to be an IkariShipping fanfic primarily. But don't worry, Drew is a main character in that story too, so there will be a lot of ContestShipping in that story as well. Good news for most of you since I know a majority of the people reading this story are ContestShippers obviously.**_

_**It will be another AU story, and even though I don't want to give too much away, the story will be mentioning things like having dyslexia, bipolar disorder, etc. It's basically a fic that describes the characters having conditions such as these, and how they cope with it in their everyday lives. ****Btw, I'm not making fun of any of the people, who may possibly have the diseases and conditions I mention in my story, just FYI.**_

_**I had a hard time trying to think of an appropriate name for the story, but finally decided on 'Different Strokes' (though I wouldn't be surprised if I changed the name again, lol) but it's basically short for the phrase 'Different Strokes for Different Folks' which means, ' Different people like different things; Different people live in different ways.' I took half of the phrase away, and came up with this.**_

_**I know I didn't give you guys too much information about my upcoming story, but tell me what you think of it so far with the info I did give you. I still have a lot more to think about for this story, so it may take me longer than expected to officially start it, but I'll at least try to get a prologue out just to get the story started, and so you guys can get a glimpse of what the story will be about.**_

_**I'm going to be starting school again soon too, so that's why I've really been trying to finish this story before that happened. **_

_**I hope you all think the plot of my next story sounds interesting, but if it turns out some people don't like it because it's a touchy subject or something, then I'll be more than willing to think of another story idea. At the moment, this is basically a possibilty. I wouldn't be surprised at myself if I came up with another idea anyway, but regardless, if you're interested in reading it, then just be on the look out for it.**_

_**If there's anything else you want to ask or talk to me about, please don't hesitate to send me a message.**_

_**Keep being the fabulous readers you are, PAL! (Post Again Later) ^.^**_

_**[8+ reviews for Chapter Seventeen]**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Note: Well, here we are. This is a very... very long chapter but anyways, read, review, and enjoy! **_

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_**A Rose Without Thorns**_

_**Chapter Seventeen | Lovers Until the End.**_

Saying I was nervous for this 'do-over dinner' was an understatement. My father was finally coming to his senses, and at least giving Drew a chance to prove himself. Ever since that day my great aunt and uncle came to the house, my father and I's relationship couldn't be better. He's finally understanding what it truly means to be both a husband and a father, and he's being the way he wish he could've been right from the beginning. I noticed the way his eyes would peek over his menu as he pretended to read it when in actuality he was glaring at Drew especially considering we already ordered. Drew hadn't the foggiest idea about it however, and if he did, then he was pretending not to. The mood around the table has been pretty quiet since receiving our table, and I just hoped that wasn't a bad thing. By the time our food arrived, the tension got thicker. I could tell this was the moment that my father was going to start hitting Drew with the tough questions.

He cleared his throat purposefully. '...So Drew, how many girlfriends have you actually had in the past?' My father inquired quickly with a rather personally question.

Drew looked up from his food, and setting his chop sticks down as he stared at my father casually. 'Uhm, not to be rude sir, but I don't understand why that's necessary to know.'

'It's necessary because I want make sure you're not one of those types of guys, who are constantly breaking up with girls for no apparent reason; just so they can go sleep with the next girl they come across. What... What do you kids call them these days? Oh, that's right - players. You're not a player, are you son?' My father asked Drew suspiciously as he cocked an eyebrow.

Drew lowered his head slightly as he chuckled subtly. 'No, sir I am not. I respect all of the females I date until they give me a reason not to.' Drew stated bitterly.

My father furrowed his eyebrows in perplexity. 'And what's that supposed to mean? How do you normally treat your girlfriends, Drew?'

Drew shrugged nonchalantly. 'It all depends.'

'_Depends_? Depends on what?' My father replied incredulously.

'Their personality. If they're spoiled girls, who want everything, then I give them nothing. If they're manipulative girls, who say certain things just to get their way, then I deny their requests a lot. If they're ungrateful girls, who never appreciate the things I do for them, then I won't do anything for them. It's actually quite simple sir, and knowing that, the relationships never last too long.' Drew explained calmly.

'Hm, you seem to be speaking from experience.' My father observed, but Drew didn't respond; only shaking his head shamefully as he took a bite from his food. I gazed across the table towards my father, but his attention had only been fixated on Drew. He hadn't even touched his food, yet since it arrived. That's when Drew decided to ask _him_ a question after taking a sip from his glass.

He wiped his chin off with his napkin before speaking. 'If you don't mind sir, but I'd like to ask _you_ question if that's okay.' Drew retorted confidently. My father's expression seemed a bit surprised, and he glanced at me for confirmation as I slowly nodded my head.

My father then glared at Drew again before accepting his request. 'Sure you may, Drew. What is it that you want to ask me?'

'Thank you. Now I don't want you to get mad or anything, but I was wondering... why is it _really_ that you introduced Brendan to May?' Drew questioned my father with a bland expression masked over his face as he stared across the table at him. My dad appeared nervous by the query, and suddenly I became interested as well behind his entire intentions of forcing Brendan and I to meet.

My father exhaled deeply. '...What do you mean? I did it for the obvious reasons. I didn't want May with a guy like you, so I introduced Brendan to her hoping she would forget about you.' My father claimed, and Drew cocked an eyebrow in disbelief as he crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair.

'Really because uh, his whole arrival seemed pretty planned to me. The way he came over right after dinner, and how he was just conveniently waiting on the porch for you to open the door without even knocking or ringing the doorbell. And if I didn't know any better, then I would say you were going to have May meet Brendan whether you truly liked me or not.' Drew assumed accurately. I glanced at my father to witness his reaction, and briskly seeing the way his eyes gazed repeatedly back and forth between Drew and I, and the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

He then sighed in defeat before exposing the truth to the both of us, or at least, so we thought. '...Alright, let's just say... it's not important... and that's all you need to know.' My father conveyed as Drew and I looked at each other in bewilderment.

'But wait, why would-'

'_All... you... need... to know_!' My father exclaimed, interrupting Drew's comment. 'Now if you both will excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom...' And with that, he quietly left the table, leaving Drew and I alone to wonder. For a moment, the atmosphere between us had been silent, and slightly awkward. It's not that I didn't want to talk to Drew, but I didn't know what to say. Honestly, I felt anxious. We were literally having dinner together with my father just so he can decipher whether Drew and I could be a couple. The entire situation was nerve wrecking, and this silence wasn't making it any better. Nonetheless, it hadn't been too much longer before I heard Drew finally say something.

He cleared his throat uneasily. 'Uhm, you don't think I made him uncomfortable with that question, do you? I'd seriously hate myself if I just jeopardized our chances of being together, May...' Drew stated sympathetically.

I calmly shook my head, and reached my arm across the table as I draped my hand on top of Drew's. 'Don't worry, Drew. Even if my father feels awkward towards your question, that's no reason for him to deny our love.' I mumbled, watching as Drew turned his head in the opposite direction most likely to hide his obvious blush away from me. He then removed his hand from underneath mine, and using it to dig into his pocket as he stood up from his chair. I couldn't see what it was that he was holding because he had it covered in the palm of his hand, and already standing behind my chair, blocking my view of it.

I cocked an eyebrow suspiciously, and slighting grinning to myself. 'Uh Drew, what are you doing?'

'There's something I wanted to give you...' He muttered subtly, and soon I felt the gentle touch of something wrapping around my neck, and hanging just above my chest. I stared down at the evident piece of jewelry as I grasped it delicately between my finger tips, and nearly flinching as my eyes widened when I seen what it was. I was breathless. I couldn't believe Drew had given this back to me. I looked at it in disbelief, and eventually glancing back up towards Drew once he had been sitting back down in his chair.

'Well, are you surprised?' He asked me curiously.

'I... I don't know what to say... Why are you giving this back to me?'

'Because I know how much it means to you. You may have snatched it off of your neck, and threw it on the ground, but I knew you didn't mean it... Actually, do you remember what you said to me the first time I gave it to you?' Drew asked me and honestly, I didn't.

I slowly shook my head feeling shameful that I didn't remember, but Drew only chuckled. 'You said, that you loved it... and that you would wear your half everyday. Well, now I'm giving it back to you. My mother helped to get the chain fixed, so now it's as good as new. I uhm... I hope giving it to you doesn't... make you feel weird or anything about what happened between us that day.' Drew replied hopefully as I glanced down towards the necklace again.

I reminisced back to the day Drew gave this necklace to me for my birthday, and immediately feeling guilty about the way I yelled at him. I know I was upset from what happened, but that was still no excuse for how I treated Drew afterwards.

'Listen May, I know we've had our ups and downs since meeting each other, but something I'm not confused about anymore is how I feel about you. I know I'm not the richest guy around, and I can be a little hot headed at times with my sensitive attitude, but I really do want to be with you. If you really chose Brendan over me, then... then I guess I'd be right. You only wanna be with someone with money, and who can properly support you.' Drew assumed as I looked at him with my eyebrows furrowed.

'Drew, what are you talking about? I don't care about how much money you have, and you know that. Money doesn't matter to me, and no matter who I'm in a relationship with, I don't expect them to spoil me or buy me every little thing. I can take care of myself, and besides... that's what fathers are for.' I winked in a whisper just as my father returned back to the table. Drew stared at me with his mouth slightly opened, but soon grinning gently at me, but also trying not to make it obvious in front of my father. Once my father had been seated again, he glanced back and forth between Drew and I, and eventually exhaling deeply, gaining both of our attention.

'...Uh, we should get going May. The dance starts in an hour, and we want to make sure we're back in time.' My father stated as I looked at him weirdly. He hadn't even touched his food, nor have Drew and I finished ours, and yet he was ready to go. Nonetheless, I wasn't going to argue with him. My father called for our waiter as we waited patiently for the check, and I could see Drew fidgeting nervously in his seat as if he had something on his mind. I then reached my hand under the table, and lightly placing it on top of Drew's lap as he immediately gazed over to me. I calmly nodded my head for support, and watching as Drew stared at me with uncertainty on his face. He then took a deep breath, grabbed my hand with his underneath the table, and glaring over to my father, who sat next to him at the round table we were seated at.

He sighed again anxiously. '...Uhm, Mr. Maple...' Drew's voice trailed off apprehensively.

My father looked at Drew with his eyebrows furrowed. 'Yes, what is it, son?' He stated sternly.

'I was uh... No, _we_ were actually wondering what your decision is?' Drew finally questioned him as his grip on my hand got tighter. My father stared at Drew suspiciously as his expression seemed motionless. His eyes then met mine, and the eye contact seemed to last forever as though it appeared he was searching my face for an answer to Drew's query. However, the waiter had already returned back with the checkbook before he could say anything; completely dismissing the interrogation. My dad quietly deposited the money inside of the checkbook, while Drew put money inside for his meal. We then followed my father outside as he had a lead on us, but also making sure to keep our distance. When we arrived outside, Drew pulled me to the side away from the door, while my father continued to trek back towards the car.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. My father's refusal to answer the question had us both believing otherwise that there was absolutely no hope of us being together. I've been staring down at ground in dismay holding the rose Drew had given to me when I suddenly felt Drew softly grab a hold of my hand, and tenderly lifted my chin up with his other hand. At first he just stared at me nonchalantly, but subsequently smiling at me as he caressed my cheek.

'...I'm sorry, May. I guess I did blow our chances again... but I'm just happy your father accepts me now, and we can at least be friends from here, right?'

I looked at Drew, and soon began shaking my head. 'Drew, you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm glad my dad is allowing us to see each other too, but I'm not giving up hope. My dad will understand our love at some point... it just may take a little longer then we hoped.' I replied skeptically. Drew then dropped his hand from my cheek, and taking a step back as he let go of my hand.

'May, I really want to be with you too... but maybe this is for the best. I'm not saying, you should go be with Brendan, but I think we're just going about this the wrong way.'

I looked at Drew in perplexity. 'What... What do you mean?'

'I mean, I think that with everything we've been through with all of our arguing, and then being told that we can't see each other it's only making us want to be together that much more when in reality it was probably never meant to be.' Drew explained as I looked at him in disbelief.

'Drew, how could you say that? I thought us being together is what you wanted-'

'It _is_, May, but I refuse to go against your father's wishes. It's bad enough we were still seeing each other even after your father told us not to. I want to gain your dad's trust, and I can't do that if I'm keeping secrets from him. Do I think we'll ever be together someday? Yeah, maybe, but I don't think now is the right time. Your dad is still getting to know me, and I'm sure once he does and he sees me for who I really am - a guy with an average lifestyle, whose parents struggle to pay the bills, doesn't always do well in school, but knows 100% how he feels about his daughter. Trust me May, I haven't given up hope... I'm just giving things time to play out the way they should.' Drew told me, and even though I understood what he was saying, I still wasn't happy about it. My first potential boyfriend, and yet we still can't be together. Even when things _do_ go my way, it doesn't take long before something fucks me over again.

'I'm about to go now, May. I know your dad probably wants you to hurry up, and I have to get back home, anyway so... I guess we'll see each other tomorrow.' Drew retorted, but I didn't respond. Drew acknowledged my bitter attitude, and pulling my body onto his as he engulfed me into a hug. My head laid pressed against his chest as I listened to the sound of his steady heartbeat, and admiring the feel as he calmly stroked my hair. I always wondered what it felt like to have a guy hold you in his, and now I do. I just wish the moment didn't have to be so depressing. Once Drew released from the hug, he lightly kissed me on the cheek, and my cheeks instantly turning a bright, rosy red from the touch of his lips against my skin.

I looked at Drew in awe as he just smiled at me bashfully, while scratching the back of his head. He then began taking some steps back finally beginning to leave. 'I'll see you later, May...' He uttered, and facing forward as he began walking out of the parking lot of the restaurant. For awhile, my body felt stiff. It's like my brain was telling me to move, but my legs wouldn't let me. When I finally allowed myself to move, I found my way back to the car, and getting into the passenger seat beside my dad. He sat staring at the steering wheel with a blank expression on his face, and not saying anything to me since getting into the car.

I looked at him in concern. 'Dad, is everything okay?' I asked him worriedly, but he didn't respond. Instead, he just turned on the car, and backed out of parking lot with no words exchanged. For the first few minutes, my father hadn't said anything to me, but it wasn't until we reached our first red light when he decided to question me.

'That's a pretty necklace... did Drew give it to you?' My father asked me subtly. I glanced down at the necklace hanging from my neck, and smiling faintly as I responded,

'Yeah, it was a late birthday present.' I told him.

'Hm, and I see he gave you another rose too.' My father mentioned, noticing the red rose sitting visibly on my lap. I looked back up at my dad, but I didn't say anything, and neither did he. The light then eventually turned green again as my father took off down the road.

The rest of the ride to the Petalburg Community Center had been about fifteen minutes, and during the entire time the ride was silent and awkward. My dad had the radio off in the car, refusing to turn it on, and the look masking over his face appeared as though he was thinking really hard about something. I wanted desperately to question him about how he was feeling, but felt as though now wasn't the right time. When we arrived in front of the building of the Community Center, you could easily see all of the cars lined up that were present for the event.

I noticed he had gotten out of the car before me without saying anything to me, but casually walking towards my side of the car, and opening the door as he graciously helped me out. I held his hand firmly in mine, and allowing him to guide us inside. The music and decorations were beauteous and serene, and it hadn't taken me long until I spotted my mother and Max here too. I had ran over towards my mom as fast as I could, but still remembering to be careful considering I was wearing heels, and hugging around her torso as she hugged me back.

'It's about time your father and you got here, May. Max and I have been waiting for you guys.' My mother informed me. I then backed away from her, and turning towards Max as he stood with his arms crossed.

'I thought this was a father-daughter dance? So how come you and mom are here?' I asked my brother, while our mom went to talk to our dad.

'What, mothers and sons can't dance together either?' Max queried sarcastically as I rolled my eyes.

'You know that's not what I meant, but did you guys just leave Brendan and his dad at the house alone?' I asked him curiously, and Max quickly looked at me in bewilderment as he cocked an eyebrow.

'Alone? What are you talking about? Didn't Brendan tell you?'

'Tell me what?' I asked cluelessly.

'That he and his dad were leaving today. They left once Brendan's dad got off work, and while you and dad went out to eat. They found themselves an apartment to stay in somewhere not too far from here.' Max explained, but I still couldn't believe it. How could Brendan not have told me he was moving out of the house today? He could've at least said, goodbye even though it probably wouldn't have been long before we saw each other again. I swear, ever since the kiss he's been acting really strangely towards me. I tried to just forget about it, but that was obviously easier said than done. Max then shook his head as he walked over to our mother as my dad walked over to me. Another song had started to play as my dad stared at me with his hand out.

'May I have this dance?' He questioned politely. We then maneuvered ourselves onto the dance floor, while I placed one hand onto my father's shoulder, and my other hand held his with his other hand around my waist. He calmly swayed us back and forth, and moving us in a circle as we danced to the melody of the song currently playing. However, it hadn't been long before my dad said something to me.

'May, you know that I care a lot about you, right?'

'Yeah, dad you couldn't stress that enough.' I replied calmly.

'Exactly, and even though I may not be as strict and harsh on you anymore doesn't change how I feel about things involving you. I still want you to be safe, and make rational decisions in your life. I'm a father, so I care a lot about your well being. I just don't want you doing things that you may regret in the long run.' My father told me as I looked at him with my eyebrows furrowed.

'What are you getting at, dad?'

My father sighed. '...May, I know I already asked Drew this question, and now I'm asking you... how much do you really love him, May? How much do you care for him... Are you _sure_ he's the one you want to be with?' My father asked me.

'Really dad, I thought it was obvious? I love Drew with all my heart, and I care about him a lot.' I admitted convincingly.

'Yes, but are you _sure_?' He questioned me as I lowered my head for a second before looking back up towards him.

'...I've never been more sure about anything in my life.' I stated, and my father looked at me as if he had wish I had said something differently. He then sighed in defeat, while lowering his head.

'...You know, I knew there'd always be a day when this would happen, and I still wasn't prepared for it... You're growing up May - you and Max, therefore it's only naturally that you're growing to start developing feelings for the opposite sex, and getting into relationships. I just wish I could've prevented a little while longer. If you're absolutely positive Drew is the one you love, and the one you want to be with, then... I guess it's okay.' My father agreed as my eyes widened from the news.

'R-Really?' I stuttered.

My father nodded his head. 'Yeah, the tone in Drew's voice, and the way he looked at you when saying how much he loved you - well... it's pretty obvious you two mean a great deal to one another, and I just hope he promises to take care of you, and that you do the same for him. I knew Drew was a good kid from the moment I met him, but I was just acting too much like my uncle to admit it. I know Drew's been through a lot, and he needs a girl like you to be by his side when times get rough; someone who's going comfort him when he feels let down, someone to hold to make the pain go away... and someone who can be a best friend to him as well as a lover. Drew had found all of that in you, and I know it because I raised you into the wonderful young lady that you are. You both need each other right now more than ever...'

I had felt a single tear drop as it rolled down my cheek, while I listened intently to my father's words. I feel like my father's always supported Drew and I... he just needed more time to adjust to it all. I then leaned my head against his chest as he continued to move us back and forth. He lightly kissed the top of my head, and mumbling 'I love you' against my hair.

'I love you too, dad.' I conveyed.

'Just promise me one thing, May...' My father muttered, and I looked at me in curiosity.

'Sure, anything. What is it?'

'Promise me that if you and Drew have sex that-'

'Ugh, _dad_ no - is this really the time for that talk!' I shrieked bashfully as I hid my face on his chest.

'I'm just saying, May. I used to be a teenager too, and I know how hormonal you guys can get.'

'Dad, can you not.'

'I just want you to be safe, honey.' He told me, and I rolled my eyes.

'I know, dad... I know.' After the talk with my father, the music had stopped, and we made our way over to the table Max and our mom had been sitting at. I had sat down in one of the chairs available, and took out my cell phone that had been sealed inside of my purse. I seen I had a missed call from Drew, and that he also sent me a voicemail. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion considering I wasn't expecting him to try contacting me so early since it hadn't been long since we last seen each other, but nonetheless, still taking the time to listen to his message, anyway. Needless to say, when I pressed play, I was even more confused by what I heard. The noise was pretty faint and muffled, but it sounded a lot like screaming and shouting in the background, and that there was more than one person talking. I couldn't make out all of the voices, but the longer I spent listening to the message, the more worried I became. It was obvious Drew had sent this message to me by accident, but it was even more evident... that something sure as hell wasn't right.

* * *

I stared out of the window of the bus with my head against the glass, and watching motionlessly at the many cars and people we passed. Ever since leaving May, I've been thinking really hard about everything I said to her about us wanting to be together is probably a mistake. There's no doubt I love May a lot, but if her father wasn't going to accept me, and allow us to be a couple, then I wasn't going to disobey him. My father's taught me better than that, and besides... it's obvious I won May's heart, so there's no way Brendan has a chance with her now even if we're not together, and that's all I care about. May means the world to me, and seeing the look on her face when I gave her back the necklace I originally gave to her for her birthday was better than words can describe.

The necklace was actually what my mother wanted to talk to me about right before I left to May's house yesterday. Fortunately the officers had tracked down the robbers, who had stolen our jewelry, and just in time for me to give it back to May. Honestly, I find it kind of strange that my mother was right about my feelings for May all this time even though I was in denial about it all, but I guess that's just her mother's intuition. Nonetheless, I briefly noticed that the bus had been slowing down until it came to a complete stop. This stop had been a few blocks away from my house, so I was going to walk the rest of the way from here. I calmly ambled down the steps of the bus, and stuffing my hands in my pockets as I walked on the sidewalk under the street lights.

The sky had been pitch black with a crescent shaped moon being seen in the distance, and little few cars passing down the street ever so often. After about four minutes, I could start to see my house just a few blocks away, and my parents' cars in the driveway. I knew my mom couldn't wait for me to get home, so I could tell her everything that happened even though she won't be receiving the news she's expecting, but I know she'll be happy for me either way. As I proceeded to walk in route to my house, I eventually began to slow down my walking pace from the instinct of seeing something up ahead in front of me. I squinted my eyes to get a better look, and quickly deciphering the 'thing' as people - four of them to be exact. The longer I continued to look, the sooner I could recognize who it was.

After awhile, I had stopped dead in my tracks; watching as they approached me closer and closer. I stood stiff as I could feel my body trembling, and my heart racing rapidly with every step they took closer to me. Once they had finally made it to me, each of them stood around me with the intentions of making sure I couldn't run away. Nevertheless, I only kept my eyes on one of them in particular as he stood just inches away from me, his stare tense, his jaw clenched, and his hands folded in front of him as he looked at me. I gulped nervously to myself, but still trying to appear fearless. Brendan's stare was literally piercing through me, and not just his, but the three other guys he brought along with him. There was no question on what they were planning to do.

I sighed deeply and timidly, and deciding to speak first. '...What do you want, Brendan?'

'Just shut the fuck up.' He voiced menacingly with his voice all of a sudden going deep. I flinched from the sudden hostility which was mistake number one. Brendan aggressively shoved me onto the ground as I nearly fell onto my face, but luckily having my hands stop the impact. I had heard my phone slide out of my pocket, and glanced to the side of me as I reached my hand out to try to grab it, and immediately hollering out in pain from one of the guys crushing my hand with his foot. I then watched as Brendan picked up my phone, and staring at it nonchalantly. He then looked down at me with nothing but hatred in his eyes.

'...You're nothing but a sorry ass bastard, and what May sees in you is beyond me. You're a fucking punk, but if you think I'm going to let your ass get away with this, then you must've lost yo' got damn mind.' Brendan intimidatingly stated through his gritted teeth as I glared at him in disbelief. I then felt the touch of a water droplet falling onto my face, and glancing up toward the sky to see it had now been beginning to rain. I then looked back towards Brendan, who had been using my phone to make a call.

I furrowed my eyebrows in perplexity. 'What the hell are you doing!?'

'Oh, just calling May, so you can say one final thing to her before I beat the shit of you... _again_.'

'The hell is your problem, and how do you even know where I live!?' I briefly questioned him.

'Don't worry about it.' Brendan stated nonchalantly with a canny smirk as I continued to look at him skeptically.

'So _what_? Are you so desperate to get May to like you that you're willing to beat me up just to do it!?'

'The hell with May. She already chose, who she wanted, so I couldn't give two fucks about her anymore.'

'So what the hell is beating me up gonna prove!?'

'Nothing... it's just gonna make me feel better.' Brendan stated with a canny smirk, and for a moment, something - I don't know what it was, was telling me to attack. For the time being, I had forgotten completely that Brendan's goons were around, and abruptly lunged myself off of the ground, and towards Brendan as I punched him in the jaw. He instantly dropped my phone from the unexpected contact, and touching his lip to notice it had been busted and bleeding. I was just about to hit him again before he could hit _me_, but immediately feeling a tug on my shirt, and brutally bring smashed back onto the ground.

I fell back on my elbows on top of the concrete, and yelling out in excruciating pain from the force. I could've sworn I heard a crack, and I was positive I was bleeding, but groaning too much in pain to see for myself. My screaming had then continued as I felt the several kicks and blows being thrown at my body, and all I could hear other than my cries was the sound of Brendan's voice as he made various threats, while proceeding to jump me. I had been scrambling on the ground, and coughing up blood as I had been kicked in my stomach, face, and throat. My clothes had been drenched from the now pouring rain, and I couldn't even open my eyes anymore. I knew I had a black eye, and my tears mixed with the rain as it rolled down my face wasn't making it any better.

I thought after all of the hits it would get less and less brutal, but with each blow, the more I felt like I was dying on the inside. I even lost my voice from all of my screaming, cries, and pleads, but even so Brendan still continued to beat on me. It was obvious he was trying to jump me to death, and I had a feeling his deed was nearly finished. I couldn't even move my body anymore as my body only moved with every hit I received. I sensed myself passing out finally, but not before the boisterous sound of gunshots sounded through my ears. Immediately after, the hits had ceased, but one voice had rang through my ears as they spoke to me.

'Have fun in the hospital.' They said to me harshly, and senselessly spitting on my face. All I heard then was the sound of their footsteps as they ran away, leaving me limp and nearly unconscious on the side of the street. Sooner or later however, I started to hear another set of footsteps, and the touch of somebody picking me up in their arms as they tried desperately to get a word out of me. I struggled with opening my eyes as my vision made the person holding me appear blurry.

'Drew!?' Drew! Say something! Say something, _please_! ...Drew!' But it hadn't been long before I finally passed out for good. Whoever it was, it doesn't matter because I couldn't hear... or see anything anymore.

* * *

I ran frantically inside of the hospital as I gazed left and right before spotting the front desk just a few feet in front of me. I could barely see where I was going if it weren't for all of the tears in my eyes. I could hear the footsteps of my parents and Max as they walked into the hospital after me, and I immediately felt the presence of my father as he lightly draped his hand on top of my shoulder. I was so distraught by everything that I couldn't even formulate correct, coherent sentences. My father spoke for me, asking the lady at the desk for directions to the room we were currently seeking, and briefly following me onto the elevator up to the appropriate floor number. As soon as the elevator stopped, I ran off of it and down the long corridor, while simultaneously scanning the many door numbers I ran past until I came in route of Drew's room.

After awhile of running, I realized that I had completely left my family behind, but they were honestly the last things on my mind right now. As I continued to run down the hall, it hadn't been long before I spotted Drew's parents sitting in the hallway with Drew's baby sister, Cecelia. I quickly ran up to them as Leanne was the first one to notice me, and getting up from her chair as she engulfed me into a hug as I ran directly into her embrace. She had been crying just hard as me with her makeup leaking from all of the tears. When I first found out everything that happened, I couldn't even think straight. I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared to see Drew after his incident, but I was more concerned about whether or not he'd be okay than worrying about his dishelved appearance. Once I backed up away from her, Leanne's hands had rested on both of my shoulders as she looked at me through her teary eyes.

'...I'm so happy to see you, May, and I know Drew will be just as happy when he knows you're here.'

'How did this happen?' I asked her nervously, and she stared down towards the floor as she shook her head.

'To be honest May, I'm still a little clueless with the information myself.' She told me, and I just sighed.

'...Well, can I go see him?'

'Of course, you can May. He's right in there, but he's not awake.' She informed me. I nodded my head in understanding, and calmly walked out of her grasp towards Drew's hospital room. The door had been closed, and I took a long, deep breath as I prepared myself to go inside. I hesitantly moved my hand towards the doorknob, and turning it as I cracked the door open. I slowly peeked my head inside, and abruptly seeing somebody else was already in the room with him. I furrowed my eyebrows in perplexity, but soon coming to the realization that the person... was Hilda. I had recognized the back of her head, but she hadn't turned around since me entering the room. I quietly walked inside, and softly closing the door behind me.

I gradually began walking to Drew's bedside only seeing half of his face considering Hilda had been blocking my view. By the time I got closer to seen Drew's face, I was shocked from what I saw. Drew hadn't even looked like himself. He had a cast on his arm, bandages wrapped around his head, his eye was blackened, his nose looked bruised, and he had a cut on his lower lip. I felt myself tearing up more just from the sight of him, and after awhile Hilda finally spoke to me.

'...They jumped him.' She mumbled spitefully. I glanced over at her in confusion.

'Who jumped him?'

Hilda shook her head. 'I didn't know any of them, but I think one guy had black hair and brown eyes. It was so dark outside, it was hard to tell.' Hilda stated depressingly, and I quickly cocked an eyebrow from the description of the person she was referring to as only one person came to mind. I shook my head shamefully, and staring back down at Drew. For a moment, I didn't respond as Hilda and I just stood silently in the room, observing Drew's battered appearance. A few minutes later, and Hilda spoke again.

'I guess he had just been on his way home when it happened... He was just a few feet away from his house when I saw everything go down. I had been taking out the trash when all of a sudden I heard a lot of screaming and yelling. I instantly ran back into the house to tell my dad, so he got his gun.'

I immediately widened his eyes. 'A _gun_?'

'Don't worry, he didn't kill anyone... He just used the blast to scare off the guys, who were beating Drew.' Hilda assured me, but for some reason that still didn't make me feel less afraid.

'...Your dad was actually the one, who told me you were at the hospital with Drew.' I retorted, and Hilda looked at me incredulously.

I then blinked a few times as I gazed out in front of me. 'I had been trying to call Drew all night, but he just wouldn't pick up. I knew something had to be wrong, so I went to his house. Unfortunately for me, nobody had been home. Your dad had then been sitting on your porch, and told me you all came to the hospital. I came here as fast as I could, and now... I don't even know what to say.' I moaned lowly as I looked at Drew a further time. His body looked pale and stiff, and it looked like he was hardly even breathing. I then asked Hilda a question.

'What did the doctor say? You know, about his condition...'

'Let's just say, he's going to be okay. I mean, that is all that matters, right?' Hilda replied, and I casually nodded my head. I had then been staring at Drew again, but I could sense Hilda's eyes still lingering on _me_. Then she said,

'You know May, Drew really does love you a lot, and don't ask how I know because I just do.'

I looked at her in curiosity. 'I know, but... why are you telling me this?' I asked her quietly.

'Because at first, Drew couldn't admit to liking you. He never believed that a girl as rich and as pretty as you could ever fall for a guy with hardly any money, and constantly struggling in his life. He thinks the universe is 'messing with him', and that's why all these bad things happen to him, but I'm trying to convince him otherwise. Too bad it's hard to do that when things like _this_ keep happening to him especially when he doesn't deserve it.' Hilda uttered as I looked down away from her stare. I then felt her touch my shoulder.

'Drew's been my best friend for awhile, May, and all I want to do is see him happy with the right person, and I know that, that right person... is you.' She admitted, and I quickly made eye contact with her again.

Hilda smiled warmly at me. 'I know you love Drew just as much, May. You guys were meant for each other, and I'm sure you both realize that by now.' Hilda told me as I could feel my cheeks turning a crimson red, and I could see Hilda smiling at me from the corner of my eye.

'I'll actually just leave you two alone now.' Hilda announced, and eventually exiting out of the room with it now just being Drew and I in here alone. I turned back towards Drew after watching Hilda leave, and staring serenely down at his face. I felt like every time I glanced at him, I found another thing wrong with him. I gently picked up his hand, and softly intertwining our fingers together, though he didn't seem to feel it.

I then shook my head as I spoke to him. 'Well, isn't this a coincidence. First you there for me when I was in the hospital, and now I guess I'm returning the favor.' I stated, but still Drew showed no signs of movement.

I sighed. '...Drew, I know you probably can't hear me, but just in case you can... tell me, was Brendan the one who did this to you? Just give me some sort of indication that he did.' I whispered, but Drew just laid there seemingly unconscious. Even though I was almost 100% convinced that Brendan was the one who did this, I just wanted Drew to tell me for himself. Nevertheless, I guess that explains why Brendan's been acting so stand-offish towards me after the kiss, and why he didn't tell me he was leaving. Regardless, it was very low and pathetic of him to do this to Drew especially after everything they've been through with each other already, and if I could tell this to his face... I would. There's no telling when I'll probably see Brendan again, and when I do, I wouldn't even want to look at him let alone talk to him after everything he's done. Regardless, he'll get what's coming to him soon enough.

Nonetheless, I had eventually caressed Drew's cheek with my hand, and smiling tenderly at him as I spoke to him again. 'You know, a lot of people have been wanting us to get together, Drew just as much as us, and I know you'll be happy to hear... that my dad said, yes. He said, it's okay if we date, and I know that's what you been wanting to hear for the longest... Drew, I love you so much, and I'm sorry you had to go through what happened to you tonight, but I promise it'll get better because I'm going to be by your side any and every time you need me. I don't care about the lifestyle you come from, or how much money you have. All I care about is you, and nothing about you is going to change that. You're sensitive, you can have a smart mouth at times, you take no bullshit especially from people like my father, and you don't try to impress anybody by changing who you are, and I love that so much about you. You're a great son to your parents, a wonderful brother to Cece, a caring friend to Hilda... and a loving boyfriend to me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.' I said to him, and leaning over the bed down towards his face as I tenderly kissed him on his lips careful of not hurting him, and for a split second I actually felt him kissing back. Our first kiss together finally, and even though Drew was hurt, it was still one of the best.

When I pulled my lips away from his, I could then feel Drew lightly squeezing my hand. My eyebrows had raised, and my mouth flew opened in surprise as I stared at Drew again. A very small, but still noticeable grin was seen on his lips, and he squinted his eyes open just enough to see me. This was the most action I got out of him since coming to see him, so I was still skeptical about what to do or say now that I had his attention. Drew then carefully scooted over on his bed slightly groaning and whimpering in the process, and motioning for me to lay down beside him. I was little hesitant about the gesture at first because I didn't want to hurt him, nor did I know if I was even allowed to, but the look on Drew's face convinced me otherwise. After everything he's been through, it was the least I could do. I carefully and slowly got into the bed with him as I rested my head on one side of his pillow, and gazing into his squinted eyes as he stared at me, but only for a few more seconds before he closed them again; his head now facing the ceiling.

'I love you, May...' He whispered with a low and raspy tone in his voice, and I quickly felt my heart skip a beat just from hearing him talk. As expected, my eyes started tearing up again as I responded,

'...I love you too, Drew.'

* * *

_**Welp, that's it, the final chapter of 'A Rose Without Thorns'. *wipes tears***_

_**First, thank you to everyone, who read and enjoyed the story. I know I've said this many times before, but knowing so many people liked my very first story ever really brings a smile to my face. I appreciate all of you, and I can't wait to find out how my next story turns out. I know this story was short, but that's only because I don't like writing long stories. I make the story as long or as short as necessary, and keep it moving.**_

_**Now about the last chapter, I'm not very good with endings, but I hope it didn't show, while you guys were reading it. Once again I tried to think of something that wasn't too cliché or predictable; something that was interesting, and then finally ending the chapter on a good note for Drew and May, so I hope all of you ContestShippers are satisfied.**_

_**Also, I hope the scene with Drew getting jumped was interesting and suspenseful because that's what I was trying to portray. I needed things in this chapter to play out a certain way for other things to happen, so hopefully everything made sense. Some of the scenes probably seemed unrealistic, but who cares. It's just a story; it's suppose to be for your pleasure and entertainment, so hopefully I've succeeded with doing that.  
**_

_**Furthermore, I know there were some things a lot of you wanted to see in the story that I didn't add or mention, so if there's anything you're still curious about, send me a message. But aside from that, tell me what y'all thought.**_

_**-Did you guys like the chapter and story overall?**_

_**-Who was your favorite/least favorite character? (May, Drew, Brendan, Norman, Dawn, Misty, Hilda, Leanne, Max)**_

_**-Are you proud of Norman for changing, and mending his relationship with his daughter?**_

_**I really worked hard on this story, and I loved writing 'A Rose Without Thorns'. I honestly don't think I'll ever write another story as good as this one, but we'll see. This chapter wasn't easy to write. It took a lot of thinking, help, and inspiration so I hope most of you like it.  
**_

_**I don't know how long it'll take until I start my next story, and the reason partly for that is because I want to take a little break from writing after all of the time and energy I put into this story. Sometimes I just want to be a reader rather than an author, and at the moment I'm reading some stories for Avatar the Last Airbender, and a little bit of the Legend of Korra.**_

_**Anyway, thank you to every single one of you, who read the story especially you Singing Wolf. You reviewed on every chapter since the first, and I couldn't thank you more enough. Your reviews always made me smile, and I hope the ending of the story satisfied you as well. :)**_

_**Even to the people, who only reviewed every once and awhile, and to the people who never reviewed at all. Just knowing you read the story is enough for me. Much appreciated.**_

_**But yeah, I'm done. Maybe I'll see some of you guys on my next story, but until then - I'm out.**_

_*****And to the Guest from Chapter Sixteen, go back and read the note at the end of the previous chapter concerning your question, and hopefully that'll clear up your confusion. (if you even see this)**_

_**OH, ONE LAST THING, I've managed to type up the prologue to my next story just like I said, so I'm going to be posting that a litter later... just FYI.**_


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